Some say print is dead. Well, not on our watch. Purdey's guiding purpose is to protect and preserve British craftsmanship, and for us that extends to making newspapers, a dying art perhaps, but a valuable one nevertheless.
In the digital age in which content is churned out, scrolled past or skimmed, there's something incredibly gratifying about taking the time to sit down and read a physical publication. A newspaper might not be "handmade" in the truest sense, but in most cases it will have been crafted with the same care and attention that is given to objects that are in fact made by hand.
In the latest issue of The Purdey Post, Purdey CEO Dan Jago writes about "championing the handmade not because it is old-fashioned, but because it connects us to a deeper sense of value and purpose," and this is exactly how we feel about our annual newspaper.
Dan was actually talking about the quiet but powerful counter-movement that continues to champion craftsmanship over the machinery of mass production. However, he adds, "This commitment to hand-crafted excellence is not an act of resistance against technology. Indeed, we’re extremely proud of our innovation, from world-leading machining at the factory to performance engineered fabrication – it’s a complementary force."
This idea becomes a theme throughout the issue, whether we're examining Purdey's new high-performance outerwear, spotlighting the latest iteration of the ever-stormproof Vatersay Cape, or delving into the singular art of copper wheel engraving. Elsewhere, we salute the "King of cloth" – tweed; we celebrate the unsung heroes managing the land that we as field sports enthusiasts spend so much of our time enjoying; and we discover how many rounds are fired by our gunmakers during Purdey's meticulous gun testing phase. There's plenty more too.
Pick up a copy next time you visit Audley House or Purdey at The Royal Berkshire, and in the meantime, we'll leave you with another excerpt from Dan's aforementioned article. "In a world of endless data and fleeting trends, the tangible, lasting quality of a handmade object provides a much-needed anchor. You’ll feel it in everything we do."