I know a little secret, I'll whisper it to thee.
The Devil had a keyring and he handed it to me.
The Keys are touched by magic, they're hidden in these walls.
The last unlocks the blackest door and into Hell we fall.–A Rhyme about Keyhouse that is heard at the beginning of the unaired Hulu/Fox pilot.[1]
Keyhouse Manor is a Manor House, located in the seaside town of Lovecraft, Massachusetts. It is the ancestral home of the Locke children. The manor has been owned by the Locke family since its construction.
History[]
Keyhouse was built during the summer of 1750, by a young blacksmith named Peter Locke, who derived his surname from the work his family had specialized in for generations: the crafting of ingenious locks.[2] Through the years the house has remained in the same family, passed down through the generations. Each generation of Lockes modified and expanded the house, Keyhouse gradually became a 'patchwork quilt' of a house; the Manor has everything from old pipes and WWII-era wiring to secret passages and a few ghosts.[2]
A wide variety of magical keys can be found at Keyhouse Manor. Many of the keys were crafted by Benjamin Locke, presumably a close relative of Peter Locke, during the Revolutionary War.[3][4] After World War II, Hans Riffel instituted the Riffel Rule with a magical key, which is still the front door key of Keyhouse Manor today. The Riffle Rule is what disables the ability to directly see magic, specifically the effects of the keys for anyone who has reached adulthood.[4] Another rule was also instituted that allows children devoid of malice to innately detect the keys without putting them in dangerous hands.[4]
The house burnt down in 2012 but was rebuilt by Tyler Locke using the Keyhouse Key.[5][6]
Setting[]
Keyhouse is set in the middle of its grounds, with gardens; sheds; a forge, where many of the magic keys were forged; and the Wellhouse. Keyhouse is surrounded by a large fence, there is a grand front gate that grants access to the property.
The house is four stories tall, with a basement, an attic, and turrets. The house has many rooms, including a study for every season, a Ballroom, a sewing room, and a Hunting Trophy's room.
Interior[]
First Floor[]
On the first floor of Keyhouse is the main entrance, the key to the front door is also the key that institutes the Riffel Rule. The Main Entrance opens into the Main Hall which spans four floors, this is where the Stained Glass Ceiling is. The first floor has the Kitchen; three sitting rooms, one of which contains the Giant Key and its window lock; the Winter Study, where the Ghost door is located; the Summer Study, containing the main library; the main dining room, the main living room; two pantries; a secret room from the Winter Study; stairs to the basement and the second floor; and the rear entrance.
Second Floor[]
The second floor has three bedrooms, including Bode's room and Nina's room (formally Duncan's room); a service bedroom; the Spring Study, which is split into a piano room and an auditorium; three sitting rooms, one where the Harlequin Wardrobe is located; Duncan's studio; the billiards room; and two larders.
Third Floor[]
The Third Floor of Keyhouse has three bedrooms; two service bedrooms; the ballroom; the service kitchens; three pantries; the main terrace; the Hunting Trophy room, which has a secret room off of it; another secret room; a sitting room; and the landing with The Timeshift Clock.
Fourth Floor[]
On the Fourth Floor of Keyhouse are two bedrooms, Tyler and Kinsey's rooms, that are connected by the Gender Key door; the fencing room; the sewing room; the maps room, which has a secret room off of it; two sitting rooms; the Autumn Study; the Nursery; the toy room, where Tyler fought the stuffed bears; a terrace; and a larder.
Basement[]
The Basement of Keyhouse is smaller than the other floors, it has only the main basement; the wine cellar and the Vault of Shadows —which holds the Crown of Shadows—and is where the control panel for the Drowning Caves' water-level is.
The entire south side of Keyhouse is capable of opening up like a door when the Giant Key is used.
The Glass Ceiling[]
In the very center of the house is a stained glass ceiling located on the roof. It depicts a padlock with various symbols including two fleurs-de-lis, a crossed keys, a small lock, and the four alchemical symbols for Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. In the center of the padlock is a keyhole or keyhole image; it is possible that this is the keyhole of an unknown key, acting much in the same way as the Giant Key does with its window.
To the left of the padlock sits Benjamin Locke holding the Illuminati Key in his right hand and the Whispering Iron in his left. Beside him shows the Children of Leng being burned in flames.
To the right of the padlock sits Miranda Locke wearing the Angel Wings suggesting the presence of the Angel Key. She holds the symbol of the Black Door keyhole in her right hand while holding an unknown key (Freemason Key) in her left. The bow of key shows a Freemason Square and Compass with a flower in the center instead of a "G", surrounded by a laurel wreath. Beside her shows the Red Coats with Cannons.
The top shows a sun and moon surrounded by clouds. Both the sun and the moon form a hidden 13 star American Flag. The sun has 13 rays that alternate from red to a light yellow that form the 13 stripes of the flag, while the moon side has a starry sky of 13, five pointed stars against a dark blue background that form the stars part of the flag. A Latin Text reads: "NVLLVM EXTAT PROBLEMA QVOD SOLVI NON POTEST" ("No Problem Exists That Cannot be Solved"[7]). A the bottom, below the padlock is the Latin text: "OMNI CLAVSTRO CVIQVE EST CLAVIS" ("Every Lock Has A Key"[7]). Below that is the Keyhouse monogram.
- Note: The Latin texts are written using the twenty-three letter Latin Alphabet. This means that there is no "J" (placeholder is an "I"), "U" (placeholder is a "V") or "W" (placeholder is "VV"). In this case, some places where a "U" should be, there is a "V" as its placeholder instead.
The Wellhouse[]
The wellouse on the Keyhouse property is located directly above the Black Door and the Drowning Caves. The water level in the Drowning Caves can be controlled by a pump, the control panel for the pump is in the Crown of Shadows Chamber in the basement of Keyhouse. The "well" is actually a tank for storing excess water. It predates the time of Benjamin Locke, so it can be assumed it was built not long after Keyhouse itself and was eventually modified from well to the excess water tank.
Notes[]
- Throughout Keyhouse, there is a stylized monogram and logo on grounds and on objects created by the Locke family; a 'KH' monogram for Keyhouse and an 'L' emblem for the Locke family.
- Keyhouse is known for its magical keys; however it also has many normal keys, most of these keys are stored in the head housekeeper's bedroom on the third floor.[2] It has been shown that these keys can interact with the magical things in the house without setting off the magic, such as when Duncan Locke and Daniel Mutuku walked through the ghost door without becoming ghosts after Duncan unlocked it with a normal key.[8]
Gallery[]
Floorplans[]
Keyhouse 2.0[]
The Wellhouse[]
House Exterior[]
Glass Ceiling[]
Netflix Adaption[]
References[]
- ↑ Unaired Hulu/Fox pilot
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Locke & Key: Grindhouse. August 29, 2012
- ↑ Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys. November 23, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Locke & Key: Clockworks #4, "The Whispering Iron". February 1, 2012
- ↑ Locke & Key: Alpha #1, "Omega & Alpha", September 11, 2013
- ↑ Locke & Key: Dog Days/Nailed It. November 6, 2019
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Latin Discussion
- ↑ Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #6. July 30, 2008
- ↑ @GR_comics (Gabriel Rodriguez) on Twitter