A wonderfully personal survivor of post-war British school life.

This small trunk key remains exactly where it has presumably been for more than sixty years, tied with its original cord to the handwritten luggage label that identified the schoolboy's trunk as it travelled between his family home in Dulwich, London, and Little Abbey preparatory school near Newbury, Berkshire.

Written simply across the top are the words "TRUNK KEY", followed by the owner's name and home address. In blue ink, the destination was added:

Little Abbey School

Newbury

Berkshire

Little Abbey was a boys' preparatory school at Burghclere, near Newbury, during the post-war period. The school remained there until the 1960s, helping us place this little object within a particularly evocative period of British educational and domestic history.

It is easy to imagine why the label was necessary. School trunks carried a boy's clothes and possessions between home and boarding school, while a carefully labelled spare key ensured that the trunk could still be opened at its destination.

What makes this example special is that nothing has become separated. The metal key, old cotton cord and handwritten label have survived together, preserving a tiny piece of one family's everyday history.

Rather than simply an old key, it is a small documentary object, connecting a named child, a London home and a real British preparatory school.

The piece has been left entirely as found. The label has creasing, staining, softened edges and age-related discolouration, while the key has developed a dark natural patina. These signs of age are integral to its character and history.

Date: c.1950s to early 1960s

Origin: England

Provenance: Dulwich, London to Little Abbey School, Newbury, Berkshire

Materials: Metal key, card luggage label and original cord

Condition: Original, untouched vintage condition