58 • HARDWARE&SECURITY
The Locksmith’s
Russian Adventure
Lewis Beadle has been working as a Locksmith
for most of his life and now acts as a professional
consultant to help cylinder and hardware
manufacturers understand the importance of
producing the right products for their market.
»»For the past four years,
Lewis has been advising Apecs, a
large Russian based manufacturing
company to help introduce its own
range of cylinders and locks to the
UK and assist with the ongoing
development of its products.
Lewis talks to Locksmith Journal
about his recent trip to Russia
and his experience of this now
flourishing country.
THE LOCKSMITH’S
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
As I stepped onto the Aeroflot
plane at the start of my journey I
told myself, “Now I’m in Russia”.
This was slightly premature on
my behalf – Aeroflot is one of the
world’s largest airlines and all of
the announcements were in both
English and Russian and the crew
were all fluent in both languages.
As the wing dipped on the
approach to land at Sheremetyevo
Airport, I caught my first glimpse of
the real Russia. Below, I could see
houses and dachas with brightly
coloured roofs – red, green, yellow
and even purple. Although some
of the older wooden buildings were
quite drab in comparison, the view
was totally different to what I’m
used.
Touchdown in a New Land
When we left the airport, we
drove to central Moscow via a series
of connecting motorways. I was
staying at the Metropol Hotel, one of
the only hotels that foreign visitors
were allowed to stay at during
the Soviet era. This fabulous Art
Nouveau style building was built
before the Russian Revolution by
a unique alliance of architects and
still retains an air of days gone by
– there is even a girl who plays the
harp in the restaurant at breakfast
time every day.
From the Metropol, it’s only a
few minutes’ walk to Red Square
whose name was not derived from
the red brickwork – the Russian
word which now means “red”
originally meant “beautiful” so the
square was named for its stunning
beauty. Although Red Square looks
big when you see it on the TV or
in images, you really do have to be
there to appreciate just how colossal
this historic space is.
The walls of the adjoining Kremlin
tower above Red Square are as high
as 19 metres in certain places and
on the opposite side of the square is
the famous “ГУМ” (State Universal)
department store. “ГУМ” (known
as GUM in English) is still the most
famous shop in Russia, originally
commissioned by Catherine II of
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Russia as a huge trading centre.
Several architects collaborated
on the design of “ГУМ” which
combines elements of Russian
medieval architecture with a steel
framework and glass roof, similar
in style to the great 19th Century
railway stations in London.
Imagine my surprise when I came
across Stalin while exploring Red
Square with my colleague. There is
a Stalin look-alike who spends every
day in Red Square where tourists
and sight-seers can pay a small fee
to have their photo taken with him.
A bit further on, we came across a
Lenin double too!
Going Underground
The Moscow Metro is
very different to the London
Underground – it’s much deeper
underground to start, with some
sections 243 feet down. The
differences don’t stop there – the
Moscow Metro is cheaper by far and
for a paltry 41p you can buy a ticket
that will let you travel anywhere.
In contrast to the functional
appearance of the London
Underground, the Moscow Metro is
one of the most stylish in the world
with architecturally magnificent
stations, many of which feature
beautiful decorations and works
of art lending the journey an
ambience that just cannot be
beaten. It’s almost impossible to
describe the feeling and appreciate
the grandeur of the Moscow
Metro without experiencing it for
yourself.