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Known Locally As The Pump Of Death
Locksmith Aldgate: A Landmark That Once Killed The People Who Drank From It
A well standing at this junction since medieval times turned fatally toxic in the 1870s, leaving behind a grim nickname and genuine Cockney slang that's still used today. Phone 020 8534 4949 and speak to someone genuinely familiar with this junction.
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- Period Buildings & Modern Offices
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- Aldgate Area Coverage
Covering the area around the historic Aldgate Pump. Open in Google Maps
Why This Junction Is Different
A well with a history considerably darker than most
Long before the current stone pump stood here, a well occupied roughly this same spot, documented as far back as the reign of King John in the early 1200s. By 1598, the chronicler John Stow had recorded it in his own survey of London, and for centuries afterward it served as an ordinary, trusted source of drinking water for the surrounding area. Nothing about it seemed remarkable until the 1870s, when everything changed abruptly.
Water drawn from deep underground had been travelling a long route south from Hampstead, passing unnoticed through newer graveyards along the way. Decaying organic matter and calcium gradually leached into that underground flow, contaminating the supply reaching Aldgate itself. Through 1875 and 1876, hundreds of people fell ill or died after drinking from what had always seemed a perfectly safe source, an outbreak now remembered as the Aldgate Pump Epidemic. The pump earned a suitably grim nickname afterward, the pump of death, before finally being reconnected to the New River Company's own mains supply in 1876.
A Wolf, A Song, And Genuine Literary Fame
That dark history left a lasting linguistic mark too. Aldgate Pump became genuine Cockney rhyming slang, used to mean getting the hump, or feeling annoyed, a phrase that's survived long after most people have forgotten why. Charles Dickens mentioned the pump directly in his own writing, and local composer Edgar Bateman, nicknamed the Shakespeare of Aldgate Pump, wrote an entire comic song in its honour. A brass wolf's head still decorates the spout today, reputedly marking the spot where the very last wolf within the City of London was shot. We're concerned with something considerably safer. A lock near Aldgate gets fixed properly, whatever grim history or local legend happens to be attached to the landmark nearby.
Pressed for time? sort a lockout fast, book a repair for later, or reach our night line whenever needed.
What Businesses & Residents Near Aldgate Call About
What this junction brings us
Offices Near A Busy Road Junction
Commercial tenants cluster densely near the old pump site, converging where several roads meet. Security here reflects that intensity, never applied generically.
Book aheadPeriod Buildings Toward The East End
Close to where the City historically gave way to the East End, older architecture survives at points. We treat each on its own terms, never as interchangeable doors.
Book aheadShops Serving A Dense Commuter Flow
The volume passing through this busy junction drives trade here up and down. Swift lock replacement protects that custom whenever downtime threatens it.
Same-day priorityFlats Woven Into The Commercial Core
Offices here still hold a small number of genuine residential entrances. Each gets its own individual check, kept separate from the commercial units nearby.
Book aheadBroken Or Snapped Keys
The older locks here can be genuinely stubborn about releasing a broken key. Our guide explains the careful approach we take.
Call nowEvening Lockouts
Once the working day winds down, this area empties out fast. Our response speed stays steady regardless of the hour.
Call nowWorth stating plainly: we don't duplicate keys, and we don't wire up card or intercom systems. Those stay with the building's own managing agent.
Locked Out Near Aldgate
A junction's own rhythm, then a quiet night
A steady crush of traffic defines this junction through the working day, its role as a crossing into the East End never really letting up.
Evening brings a sharp contrast, the whole area settling into genuine quiet.
Either way, our approach stays the same. Gentler methods always get tried first, with a drill reserved strictly for when nothing else works.
A snapped key and a vanished one need entirely different fixes. See our broken keys page, or lost keys page, whichever applies.
Around Aldgate
What this area connects to
Chaucer's own tenancy, in full.
West of this junction.
South-west of here.
West, towards the river.
The wider district this area sits within.
South-east of this junction.
What We Do
Services around Aldgate
What A Landmark Leaves Behind In Our Own Speech
A phrase that outlived the memory of why it exists
Most people saying they've got the hump have no idea the phrase traces back to a genuine public-health disaster at this exact junction. Even so, it outlived its own grim reputation, quietly becoming shorthand for something else entirely.
The pump's own history, wolf's-head spout included, is covered by this detailed record of the landmark itself. The epidemic's full story is traced further by this account of what happened in the 1870s.
Our own standards stay considerably plainer than that history. Whether a lock works is the only thing that actually concerns us.
Something not right with your lock? Describe the symptoms and we'll tell you plainly what's going on.
The Process
Booking a locksmith callout near Aldgate
- Message usWhere you are, which unit, and the problem in a sentence.
- We sort any clearanceBuilding requirements get handled before our arrival.
- Hands-on assessmentNo price until the engineer has actually seen the door.
- Working, confirmedWe don't leave until both lock and door prove themselves.
Access & Traffic
Getting to you around Aldgate
This junction carries heavy traffic throughout the working week, with loading restrictions enforced throughout.
Aldgate and Aldgate East stations both lie within easy reach, frequently the faster route in when surface roads are congested.
Weekday mornings and evenings bring the sharpest surges, with a steadier flow through the middle of the day. We plan each visit around whichever pattern applies.
Why People Call Us
What Aldgate's tenants and residents rely on us for
- Current condition decides everything. What a building used to be makes no difference to us.
- We avoid damage wherever possible. A drill appears only when genuinely nothing else will do.
- Dense junction crowds? No issue. Heavy crossing traffic here is simply routine for us.
- Flats aren't treated as lesser work. A residential callout gets the same care as any commercial one.
- Our boundaries are clearly drawn. Duplicate keys and access-system wiring go elsewhere.
- Hour of day doesn't limit us. Busy daytime or a silent night, both get the same answer.
Nearby
Areas around Aldgate
Common Questions
Known Locally As The Pump Of Death
Did people genuinely die from water taken at this exact spot?
Yes, in a documented outbreak during the 1870s.
What actually caused that water to turn dangerous?
Contamination traced back to nearby graveyards, seeping into the supply underground.
Did this grim episode leave any lasting mark on the English language?
It did. It's still remembered in genuine Cockney rhyming slang today.
A Wolf, A Song, And A Famous Novelist
Is there a genuine legend attached to this landmark's own decoration?
It does, involving the very last wolf said to have lived within the City.
Did any well-known writers actually mention this spot in their own work?
Yes, including one of England's most celebrated novelists.
Did ordinary Londoners ever write songs about it too?
Yes, one composer became known locally for exactly that.
Booking Around Aldgate
Which area does this page actually cover?
The immediate area around the historic Aldgate Pump itself.
Do you work on period buildings as well as modern offices here?
We do. This area has a genuine mix, and each building gets assessed on its own terms.
Can you reach a lockout during a busy weekday?
We can, though finishing on foot often works out faster once this junction gets congested.
Is weekend cover realistic in a mostly commercial area?
Yes, every day, regardless of how quiet the streets are.
Do you handle residential premises as well as offices here?
Yes, though commercial work accounts for most of what we're called out for in this area.
What if my building has its own security procedures?
Let us know what they involve beforehand and we'll plan the visit around them.
A well here once earned the grim name 'pump of death'. We'd rather your own lock earned nothing more dramatic than a proper fix.
Office, shop or flat near Aldgate — get in touch, and we'll send the right engineer.