ABOUT

HISTORY

For 200 years this hinge design has been used on some of London’s finest buildings, from the smallest of Mews houses to Police stations and even prisons, but who was Charles Collinge, and where did it all begin?

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Charles Collinge (1792-1842) was an engineer in London, engaged in mechanical pursuits from an early age. His father, John Collinge, also an engineer, was a founder of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

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​John Collinge, engineer and iron founder, of Westminster Bridge Road, London held many patents including one for “Ball and socket hinges” applied for in 1821 - now known as the Charles Collinge Hinge.

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​To this day, these hinges are still cast by hand in the traditional way using molten cast iron, poured into sand moulds made using old hand cut patterns.