Craftsmanship & Provenance

Purdey tweed arrives from our Scottish mill, and is laid upon the bench for marking out. This is done with great care, to ensure the lines and checks meet up.

Component pieces are marked in tailors’ chalk, and cut out with shears by hand.

Each set of parts is rolled and bunched. Once gathered in small batches, they are passed to the workshop for production.

A number of finishers will work on each fieldcoat, using a complex pattern. It is distinctive to Purdey, on a half-raglan design.

Because the garment has a full-action back, there is plenty of room for the shooter, whilst at the same time looking elegant.

The final touch is to sew in the Purdey label and the coat is ready to journey to Audley House.

Our tweeds are milled in Scotland, to exclusive Purdey designs.

Once they reach the cutting bench, they are carefully marked out.
We must ensure every element marries beautifully, so each chalk-stroke must
be precise.

We use traditional cutting shears, still working with tweeds as in the days of
James Purdey.

Fresh-cut fabrics are handed to our tailors. Each piece will pass through several pairs of hands, as every specialism is enacted.

First, we construct the shell. We add an internal canvas chest-piece, which gives the jacket life and shape. To that, we fit the lining.

Although we press our jackets ‘in line’, at each stage of their making, we also steam press the finished garment, using special blocks or ‘forms’.

This helps set the jacket’s natural drape.

We sew horn buttons in by hand and our Purdey label.

The jacket is given one last press, and then sent on its way to South Audley Street in London.

Our tweeds begin their journey high on the Scottish borders.

There, flocks of Cheviot sheep graze just a few miles from our mill.

With yarns that are strong and durable, they are the perfect foundation to our fieldwear.

Before we set up the looms, we open the archives.

With patterns dating back more than a century, we choose a design that is right for our purpose. Then it’s time for the weave to begin.

The results are magnificent blankets of tweed. Each one, unmistakably Purdey.

The fabric’s then sent to the finishers. It is washed, pressed, and given a waterproof treatment. Our Aquaret coating will repel dirt and moisture, without detracting at all from the feel of the texture.

Finally, each piece of tweed is painstakingly checked. Only once we are fully satisfied will it be passed to the garment maker.

Our hats and caps are made with traditional methods, hand-cut by our team here
in England.

Materials are meticulously selected, with patterns rigged by eye.

Every stripe is matched to perfection. Every check is paired up with care.

Our specialist seamstresses insist on pure Purdey quality, inspecting the finish each step of the way.

Not an element goes unexamined. From the breathable, waterproof membrane, to the hand-sewn final flourish of each peak.

Our gun leathers are made in Kent by our case maker, alowing us to offer complete matching sets (Sleeve, bag, case and cartridge magazine), if requested.
When choosing the leather we only use supple and smooth-grained, the finest rawhides. Curriers work the hides by hand, using techniques born centuries ago.

For a smooth and even finish, colour is stained by hand and allowed to air dry. A favourite result is bridle leather, which we use in many Purdey goods.
Our new range of luggage also uses the fine and rare English oak bark tanned leather, from Britain’s last remaining oak bark tannery in Devon.
Once synonymous with best London gunmakers, it was highly favoured in ages past, as indicative of a visit to the capital.

The leather is cut on a bench, following the pattern required. Exclusive Purdey chequering signifies the finest quality in the world.
Once cut, individual pieces are carefully stitched together. The stitching is conducted with the leather turned inside out, before the piece is gently reversed.

With the forged brass buckles in place, it is time for a final burnish.
The burnishing tool is made of the ‘ironwood’ lignum vitae, so dense that it easily sinks. When our leather craftsmen are apprentices, this tool is one of the first things they shape. Often, it will last a whole lifetime, giving their leathers a rich colour in their final deep polish.

Finally, the leather ware is complete. The Purdey name is pressed deeply into it, and the bag, slip or field belt is ready to meet us at Audley House.

Our cashmere mill is in the borders of Scotland, where the softest of waters washes and soothes the yarns.

This is the land of James Purdey’s forefathers, which we are still proudly linked to today.

We select only the finest cashmere yarns, making our sweaters and knits dense and luxurious.

In the wild, cashmere is nature’s guard against winter. Our cashmeres will keep out the chill wherever you are.

Our cashmere makers’ skills have been handed down through generations.

Many who work at our mill were taught by their parents or grandparents. This is a living, family tradition.

Although today’s frame machines make the most of technology, the stages of our cashmere making still follow age-old lines: scouring, drying, dyeing and spinning; before the eventual knitting or weaving.

A sweater is made up in sections, each one linked together by hand.

Naturally, our sticks and canes are handmade.

We work with native British hardwoods, such as blackthorn, hazel and ash. They are ‘coppiced’ a few feet from the ground. This encourages new shoots to bud.

Then we must wait – for three or four years.

Eventually, it is time for the harvest.

Our craftsmen cut the branches, taking note of which coppice they come from.

Each shank can be traced to its roots.

Sometimes working in their croft or cottage, our stick-makers whittle the canes. They are worked deftly, beautiful designs emerging: mallard, pheasant and fox.

The maker may not know which creature he will craft, until the first nicks of the knife.

Once cut, the sticks dry: a year will pass before they are seasoned. Then the canes are straightened, using steam, the traditional way.

In time, the cane is finished. Varnished and hand-painted; a unique work of art.

The ‘classic’ Purdey sock comes from Scotland.

There, the body, heel and toe are crafted on a cylindrical ‘knitting machine’. This is a beautiful work of mechanical movement, originally built in the 1950s and still making Purdey socks to this day.

These remarkable machines are kept alive by skilled hands. Parts are fashioned in-house, and built to last for decades.

The socks themselves are made from hardy merino yarn, twisted with nylon for strength and shape.

Sock tops often feature hand-knitted designs. These are linked to the main body by hand, using a similar technique as for that of our knitwear.

We make our ties from pure woven silk, and from wool and silk mixes that complement our tweeds. No matter the blend, tie design always starts with a visit to the silk mill.

Here, the finest silk in England has been crafted for three centuries. We have privileged access to their archive, taking inspiration from the past.

Our designers will also study the sporting world’s birds and animals, drawing from craft and nature to create the new season’s patterns.

Once the patterns have been settled, it is time to make the silk.
We set the base colours on the warps of large looms. Then, in the wefts of the fabric, the ground and the designs are brought to life.
The result is a wonderful blanket of silk. It is rolled by hand and taken to London, where our master tie-maker readies it for his team.

Craftsmen mark and cut the silk, using knives made for the task and handed down through generations.

Each tie is crafted with a single length of thread, then folded four ways. A seamstress will ‘slip’ them, leaving some thread outside the front blade. This is deliberate: it allows the release of tension, so the tie always recovers its shape after wearing.

Once completed, the tie is pressed flat. Our Purdey label is hand-sewn into place, and the finished result is displayed at Audley House.

Purdey knives are ideal for hunting, tracking, trapping and skinning. We even offer a knife for survival and bushcraft, with a firesteel of carbon rod.

The blades are crafted from Damascus steel, known for its strength and hardness. Every Damascus blade pattern is unique – each knife’s own distinct fingerprint. This steel is known for its ability to retain sharpness, and will give many years’ unfailing use.

Blades are fixed to their handles with either brass or nickel silver bolts. And they are available in various lengths, from just 2” for a pocket knife, to our 4¾” bushcraft blade.