Can anyone please identify what the heck we've bought? !!

[mummabubs]

We've had an offer accepted on a house that's in need of complete modernisation. We're really excited to get in there and start tailoring it to our tastes etc. My husband is really reticent to ask the vendor what these two magical things are in case we annoy them and they think we're going to try and reduce our offer. (!?) So I thought I'd see if by any chance anyone knows what these are:

Firstly I present a key that's literally in the door frame of the master bedroom. DH tried turning it during the viewing and nothing happened!

Secondly these intriguing metal boxes that are on about 3 walls in the downstairs rooms. All we know is they are not related to internet/telephone or burglar alarms!

Answers/ hilarious guesses welcome! 😂

The box could be some kind of panic alarm system?
No flipping idea about the key!

Burglar alarm for the key?

It looks like there was possibly a door on the side of the frame where the lock is. This could be a lick situated in the frame which locks the foor once its shut....just a guess.
Have the metal boxes got writing in or any sockets etc? Maybe an aerial loop for a radio or speakers?

Lock i mean

Panic alarm?

Is the key hole a holder for the key so you don't lose it? Does it fit a keyhole in the actual door?

The box may be an old Redifusion box - sort of old fashioned Sky TV. You turned the channels over by turning a button in a box on the wall.

Looks like a cover for a fuse box? The key is just weird though! 😂 I'd have to ask....

The key clearly unlocks the hidden door that leads to the secret sex dungeon/red room of pain.

No clue on the boxes.

If the boxes have a red button on the end then it's a panic alarm, automatically sets off the burglar alarm. If not then I've no idea! You might need to take the door frame off to find out what the key does, secret room?

The box definitely looks like a panic alarm system. It should have a button on the side that isn't visible. Do not press it!

Has the house been used for some sort of supported housing/therapeutic type work?

I used to work in a place that had an alarm like that silver box. It had a button on the top so on the left side of that picture that you could press and it triggered a silent police alarm. The key to turn it off wasn’t flat though more chunky.

The key looks like some sort of emergency (?) key release.

Does the box on the wall have a hole on the right end that fits an allen key?

It looks like an old thermostat. We had on in our house when I was a child in the 80s.

Do those boxes have flip up plastic lids? I think many years ago I had something like that with a thermostat inside to set the heating.

Box in Wall is for a burglar alarm we had them installed in a house during renovation almost 40 years ago. Key indoor might be part of same system for setting alarm when going to bed but did not have one if those

key looks like a door lock for a sliding folding door where the door went into the groove , had these in an old house with no space to open doors normally.

The silver box is part of an old household alarm system. I still have one in my house.

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo

The key clearly unlocks the hidden door that leads to the secret sex dungeon/red room of pain.

No clue on the boxes.

Hahaha! There's already a basement room that my husband calls the dungeon so they did a crap job of keeping it secret 😂

Thanks all! Seems the majority are thinking along the lines of alarms. There is a burglar alarm installed, but I thought I'd already seen the white boxes for that up in the corner of some rooms that also have the metal boxes! They don't have any covers on them but look like they might contain wiring. Guess if they are related to the alarm system that might explain the key in the top room!

Definitely not thermostat-related as we've located that and as far as we can see there's nothing that you can control on them. Hopefully we didn't set off any silent alarms whilst viewing 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

I lived in a house ages ago that had a box like that next tot he bed - it was a panic alarm which silently alerted the police apparently. We were renting the house so I doubt it would have worked as we weren't subscribing to a security company, but I was really nervous about DS pressing it by mistake.

The other key did unlock something when your DH turned it...you just don't know what.

The other key did unlock something when your DH turned it...you just don't know what.

It was probably a portal to hell. You don't know it yet, OP, but your DH has accidentally triggered the Apocalypse.

It's definitely a panic alarm. You will set it off if you press both sides at the same time and the key turns it off.

We have a couple which were linked to an ADT house alarm.