About Us
In 1927, Frederick Andrews took over a hardware store on Gladys Avenue that he’d been managing for seven years. His son Freddie joined him a few years later, and together they opened a second shop on London Road, by the corner of Amberley Road; that’s where our name came from.
Almost 100 years on, we’re still a family business, still based in Portsmouth. Managing Director John Andrews has spent over 50 years in the locksmith trade; his son Scott has been alongside him for more than 25 of them, and the rest of the team bring decades more between them.
We’re MLA (Master Locksmiths Association) approved, properly vetted and inspected, not just self-declared “trusted.” It’s why Police Forces and Neighbourhood Watch groups across the UK recommend us.
Four generations on, we proudly serve Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester, Waterlooville, Havant and communities across Hampshire and West Sussex—yet our approach remains the same: we’d rather solve your problem properly than sell you something you don’t need.
Meet the Team
Scott Andrews
Director
Scott joined the company after graduating from university in 1992. As Director, he has driven the company’s expansion into electronic security, helping to develop this important part of the business today.
John Andrews
Managing Director
John has worked in the industry for over 50 years. Driven by a passion for understanding how mechanical things work, he taught himself locksmithing and became a Fellow of the Master Locksmiths Association.
Lewis Ward
Senior Installations
Lewis joined the company in 1998 and is now Senior Installations. He has built extensive knowledge of the technical aspects of the business, bringing years of hands-on experience to every installation job.
Security Services & Locksmiths in Portsmouth
Amberley Security, one of the leading security and locksmith companies in Portsmouth, have been in business for over 80 years, we have the experience and the expertise you need. Over the years, we have used our skills to make sure that thousands of customers have a minimum of fuss and stress. And we will do that for you too.
We’ve been based in Portsmouth since 1927, all our staff are local, so if you need us in an emergency, we haven’t got far to come.
Our History
In 1927, Frederick Andrews bought the hardware store in Gladys Avenue, Portsmouth, that he had been managing for the previous 7 years, and thus our company was born.
In those days, it was very much the old-fashioned hardware store, with boxes of items on shelves from floor to ceiling. It was a popular business, and in the 1930s, Frederick’s son, also called Frederick and known as Freddie, joined the company, and shortly after, they bought another shop, this time in London Road, near the corner of Amberley Road, and so Amberley Stores was born.
Fast forward to the early 60s, and Freddie’s son, John, joined the business. At that time, supermarkets were just starting to affect the local grocer, and the same was happening with hardware stores. Freddie and John decided, rather than to compete with these larger shops, they would stay small and specialise – they chose keycutting. In 1967, a third shop, the current premises in Copnor Road, was purchased.
As the reputation grew, customers asked if they could fit the locks that we sold, and then we had requests to repair locks.
In the mid-1980s, with yet more customer requests, other services, such as door entry systems and access control, were added to the mix.
In 1992, John’s son, Scott became the fourth generation to join the business. With a background in computing, he was able to add more electronic security systems into the offering.
Testimonials
Don’t just take our word for it
On the Day of the work being carried out Amberley Security arrived on time and got straight to work, before they finish they checked the setup and that I was happy , making some changes I asked for . Excellent work
The whole process from initial inquiry advice, ordering, the installation and after-sales service was professionally handled and I am very pleased with all aspects.
Would definitely recommend these guys for all kinds of alarms or cctv work – they definitely know their stuff and they never tried to oversell anything, quite the opposite in fact! Great, thanks very much 🙂
I’d just like to say you did a great job with my door bell and cameras. A few neighbours had break ins last night and they left us alone.
An excellent service the team ensured all was as I wanted . They were attentive and all completed as promised a real five star service.
I was very pleased with the standard of the installation, and now I feel so much safer, knowing I can see who is at my door before I open it.
Get in Touch
For further information about Amberley Security, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We are always happy to help.
