A Gentleman's London, Episode Twelve_ Purdey

Ladies and gentlemen, you may have noticed in the news that the Royal Warrants have been announced and a lot of brands who had a Royal Warrant before were probably a bit nervous as to whether they would get a new one, admitted to them now that Prince Charles had become King Charles. But one brand could perhaps have a lot more confidence than the others and that is Purdy because ever since 1868 Purdy have had Royal Warrants and ever since 1878, crucially when Queen Victoria appointed hers, they have been Royal Warrant holders for every monarch since Queen Victoria. The wonderful thing about Purdy as a brand is that it holds a lot of the historical breadcrumbs of our history's culture. For example, the dents in the wall here, if you know where to look for them, are the dents from the bombs that the Nazis dropped on London during the Blitz. And inside what we're going to do is we're going to have a look at the brand not only for the craftsmanship that is such a huge part of their output, but crucially the history that they have been able to document in the brand's lifetime and then also the etiquette that comes with our most idiosyncratic of pastimes, it's country sports. When you first walk in there's all sorts of bric-a-brac, there's all kinds of things that are I guess accessories to going on a shooting weekend. So we'll come back to all this as part of the Purdy offering but we're going to walk through to what's called the Long Room. And the Long Room holds an awful lot of history, it's a very special place to be. We'll talk a little bit more about the history of the Long Room when we're in there but crucially one of the things that's notable is that Queen Elizabeth dined here to say goodbye to the old chairman Richard Beaumont and in here is I guess the central, this ground zero for the history of the brand. The ledgers across here, thousands and thousands of pages of dedication to craftsmanship and a whole host of memories for families who have bought something that will be able to be passed down through the generations and who have dedicated themselves to investing in something that it is at the very, very pinnacle of craftsmanship. When you look at what Purdy actually make and the detail that they go into when producing their guns and their factory itself is only in Hammersmith, it's not somewhere deep in the countryside, it is in London. So the communication between these two portals are particularly good but this is where it all starts. If you're going to order something from Purdy you come here and you begin your journey, sometimes that can last a couple of years, to create something that is fully bespoke for you in a way that just doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. So as I mentioned during this video we're going to go through several different chapters, the first of which is going to be looking closely at what it is that they are known for and taking a little bit of a deep dive into the craftsmanship and the history behind the creation of shotguns. So what I have in front of me are two finished guns by Purdy, there is both a over and under and a side by side. These are the two most likely things you're going to be getting, there are variables like hammer guns etc, but really these two here are what you need to know about. The side by side, as it says, the barrels are side by side. So things to know about Purdy is that they use what's called the Beazley action and it's pretty much unique to them in comparison to everyone else. So it's the system that's basically used for cocking the gun, so when you break the gun, when it falls open like this, for most other gun makers the breaking of it is what cocks the gun, but when the Beazley action is used it's on the closing is when it cocks it. The justification behind using the Beazley action is pretty much twofold, so for one it takes a lot more force to break the gun when you don't have the Beazley action, so when it cocks on the opening that is going to take a little bit more force and also then comes with a bit of a time restraint as well, so it doesn't do it as fast. So those two factors are why they use the Beazley action over what everybody else uses. And this is the over and under. Now the over and under comes with an awful lot of controversy. Why? I think people are a little bit snobby about them and because the side by side is the OG, it's the original, it's kind of what the traditionalists use. However, it is pretty much accepted nowadays that you will hit twice as much but you also get half the invitations. The truth is though is that nowadays times have slightly moved on, you're less likely to see that level of snobbery, it's really just kind of come to be a bit tongue-in-cheek these days, and in terms of purdy orders most people come in nowadays looking for an over and under. So what is it that actually gets you to the stage of having a finished gun? It's about 800 to 1000 hours and seven stages of gun making. We're going to look at particular one of those stages because really for me it really encapsulates how the human hand and eye still play such a critical role in British craftsmanship and that is barrel making. So this item here kind of looks like I've been on a walking tour of the trenches and come home with a souvenir but it is called a barrel blank. It's where it all starts from when it comes to making a chopper lump barrel. The chopper lump side of it comes from this end which has a function to it and you'll see as it goes on the process why it's referred to as that but as you note down here it is a fully solid piece of metal which ultimately needs to be bored through so it remains like this on the outside but obviously completely bored out in the and after an awful lot of handiwork it turns into this. So as you can see the central metal has been taken out. It's a much different color that comes through an awful lot of filing that files the metal down to the correct width that it needs to be. Bearing in mind this is a bespoke product so the judgment how wide and how long the barrels are is entirely done through the gun salesmen here at Purdy who are able to adjudicate what is needed for the client. Now back to the chopper lump. The reason why it's actually a really important part of the gun making process is ultimately it connects the barrel to the working parts of the gun. The two barrels would be put side to side so imagine an identical version of this they're put up side next to each other and the finished product of the barrel is this. So the chopper lump gets cut down to what it needs to be to connect to the working parts of the gun itself. Now moving further down the process and now we're talking really into the triple figures in terms of hours of work that's now gone into the gun that you've ordered. You have the barrel attached to the action and the working parts and so this is a really wonderful demonstration of the intricate metal work and the exact measurements required for creating a gun and here we have a dummy cartridge promise and so when you close it up pull the trigger you can see the working parts moving together all hitting the firing pin which then hits the cartridge and then of course there is the release. So as much as gun making is a kind of physics and engineering feat it is also an aesthetic one because Purdey do produce really beautiful items at the end of the day and one of the things that really are remarkable to the brand is its engravings and so here you see this scrawl engraving it's a large scrawl engraving and the engravers themselves there's very few of them that are able to do it and it takes about six to eight weeks to complete this engraving and there's only a few available in terms of girls who are able to do this kind of level of work. Purdey are extremely picky about who they get to do this and the finishing is pretty spectacular you work a bit further down you have what's called checkering it's basically the grip so it's so you can hold on to it but in and of itself is a really beautiful piece of craftsmanship because this is all done by hand with a checkering tool it literally in a straight line the butt is attached to a vice and I've seen it in action with the craftsman just running the tool up and down at this part of the the butt and creates this absolutely exact checkering which I think is one of the more under appreciated parts of a way that a gun looks so spectacular. Now onto the varnishing the stock itself is made from a exhibition grade walnut it's called a slack and finish this varnishing is what it's called to to really bring it to life and the varnish that they use is proprietary I believe they call it the red stuff at the factory and it's so the bottle itself is pretty gross looking it looks like it's as old as the brand itself but I don't really mind what the formula is for making it because I just love the results that it creates. Just like with the tailored suit finishing is everything it kind of makes or breaks the entire product now the finishing here where you can see is impeccable because bearing in mind the people who work on the trigger guards and the trigger plates and the stocks they all play on their own separate benches and they craft based on the measurements that's provided from here and then it all needs to come together at one point and fit exactly. The metal work side of it is the one that will need adjusting if it has to be but ultimately the results will be impeccable no gaps and just sitting completely flush. So now we've had a sort of snapshot because bearing in mind 100 hours is very hard to distill down to a couple of minutes of the craftsmanship of the creation of a Purdy Gumbel we're now going to look a little bit at the history so we're going to dig into the ledgers to find a little entry that I think would both amuse and interest you. So Purdy is one of those kind of places where if you pull out a random ledger and open up a random page you may just get His Majesty King George V as the entry and this is that entry with a whole host of orders both for shooting in the countryside and also an order for a rifle for when he went to India. Now George V was a prolific shot and stamp collector as well he was the most marvelously benign of constitutional monarchs. There's a great order here for HRH Prince Albert in 1914 who would of course go on to be King George VI and father of Queen Elizabeth II. Now in this ledger here next door there's a really nice inscription as I say he was a prolific shot and it says here in 1936 His Majesty the King died at Sandringham House at 11 55 p.m Monday January the 20th 1936 the kindest and best customer we ever had Tom Purdy and then just below it there's another one that says His Majesty King Edward VIII abdicated from the throne on December 1936 in favour of his brother His Royal Highness the Duke of York who became King George VI. Long live the King Tom Purdy. So when I say that Purdy is full of the historical breadcrumbs that have made the culture and history of our island nation I really do mean it. But back to George V there is something I want to show you which is that in 1935 he celebrated his silver jubilee and very graciously Purdy made him a pair of guns in celebration of that anniversary and they also kept a third version for themselves here which was the kind of prototype for what they made him and the reason they needed to do that was this is the pair of guns that they made him. This is a perfect miniaturized gun fully working with the working parts and all inside. It does fire. There seems to be only one cartridge left in this particular briefcase. If you were to remake them it would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds just for the ammunition. It has been said that George V used these to shoot moths at Sandringham and I really hope that's true and let's just go with the fact that it is true. But as I say this is a genuinely remarkable engineering feat to do something like this. Imagine creating a fully driving Ferrari that is the size of the palm of your hand. There is no difference between creating this and creating a miniaturized Ferrari the size of your hand and Purdy had been able to do that and they were able to do that in 1935. So I mean if we're looking at the historical prowess of craftsmanship across the entire world something like this just shows that Britain has been miles ahead for a very very long time. Now on to etiquette. It is very true that shooting is an age-old pastime however whilst times have moved on and of course things have relaxed somewhat there are still some rules you absolutely need to know before you go on a weekend shooting. Number one tip the head gamekeeper. Think of an estate a little bit like a platoon in the army where you have the squire who is the lieutenant but the head gamekeeper is the sergeant he really runs the show. So you have the head gamekeeper who will be floating around you will spot them during the day make sure you introduce yourself to them and get to know them because they have put in an awful lot of effort to make sure you have an amazing day and at the very end every single one of his team and the picker-uppers they all go out for a drink and you need to be buying the rounds. Number two make sure you arrive with a gift and you leave with a thank you note for your hostess and we're not talking about emails here we're talking about handwritten notes in the old-fashioned snail mail style. Number three be on time at the front ready to get into the cards you usually will leave around nine o'clock to start the day shooting. The night before it is likely there was some frivolity it doesn't matter how hairy it got you need to be outside on time. Number four when you take the peg don't shoot the birds that goes over the peg next to you. You will notice that the birds come over in certain channels and if you start shooting across and you're taking other people's birds you're not going to have the best time with everybody else. There is actually one exception it's called wiping somebody's eye if they have tried and failed on both shots you can have a go. Number five pick up your cases afterwards bear in mind these are working farms you're on so there's a couple of reasons why you don't want to be leaving your cartridges on the floor. Firstly they're not biodegradable they won't just disappear so the tractors and animals that will end up grazing or working those particular fields don't want mouthfuls or machine fulls of your metal and plastic cases. Number six don't go for low birds the reason they call it country sports is it is meant to be sporting so you shoot higher higher birds because if you go for too low and you get them it ruins the spirit of the day. Number seven and this is incredibly important always remember safety these are lethal weapons and every time a drive finishes you will need to be seen by everybody else basically to be breaking the gun and unloading it and then packing it away in a gun case. Once it's in the gun case then everybody's safe and happy but make sure that is the first thing you do even before you pick up your cartridges. Number eight is listen to the rules that are given to you before you drive off there's going to be a couple of them which is what you are not allowed to shoot so if you are not allowed to shoot woodcock and they specify don't shoot one if you see it they will not mention something called a white pheasant this is meant to be something you would just known you were not allowed to shoot at the white pheasant are much rarer you do not shoot them and if you do you will get fined. So number nine is all about gun dogs if you have a gun dog you have to make sure that it properly behaves this starts from the moment you get out of the cars and walk towards your peg because depending on where you are you may walk past the area where the birds are and if the dogs aren't trained enough they may run in there and disturb the drive in fact ruin it from the off but they also need to make sure that they don't put themselves in danger when things start firing and a lot of noise they need to be able to be calm and appropriately behaved on the peg. And number 10 is dress appropriately and I'll show you how to do that now. So what to wear on the peg there is an awful lot of debate when it comes to clothing you should be wearing and shooting there is a little bit like with the over and under and the side by side debate a slight snobbery when it comes to the idea of having new clothes when you go to the the older families tend to like to let everything kind of disintegrate and and get mothbitten because it kind of shows that they are old hands when it comes to shooting but I think that one should look the part much more than be the part that's always been my motto so the central part of shooting clothes is the breeks obviously that's the thing that distinguishes it from any other sporting or casual or formal occasion you know it's shooting a tie because of the breeks and the socks. Now breeks as a item of clothing a lot of people refer to them as plus twos or plus fours it's actually neither plus fours are when the fabric folds over four inches across the place where it stops at the knee plus twos are two whereas breeks just stop at the knee it actually doesn't really have any fold over whatsoever you may however see game keepers distinguishing themselves as game keepers by wearing things like plus fours and plus two so you'll see that there's a lot of overhang and you'll be able to spot them a mile away so these are a pair of breeks as you can see this is where it stops at the knee otherwise they are a fairly normal looking pair of trousers they should be tweed and this kind of color because what that does is it means you blend into the countryside on which you're shooting so when the birds go over they don't immediately spot you don't stand out and also the thing about tweed is that it's it's waterproof and in this country we are not blessed with endless sun during the shooting season and just to remind you the shooting season is from the 12th of august you have what's referred to as the glorious 12th and the glorious 12th is when grouse season starts and then at the beginning of september you start shooting partridge at the beginning of october you can start shooting pheasant and then it all wraps up at the end of january now breech should be worn with long shooting socks these are often thicker perdy have a great selection of ones that are made either from cashmere merino wool all sorts that go right up to the knee roll over and crucially the another signature of shooting are the uh the garters that stick out the side of the socks um these are specifically for holding your socks up however of course modern day socks they are able to stay up it's no problem uh so they play a practical role however they really are there as so that covers the trousers and for me uh if i were to offer any advice i would say that you need to keep constant uh wherever it is you're going whoever it is you're shooting with always have your briefs and your long socks and the rest of it you can kind of play with a little bit this for example this is a norfolk jacket it's called a norfolk jacket you can identify a norfolk jacket through these straps that go vertically down the uh the jacket now the purpose of those initially was so you can have some pockets and these kind of disguise the pockets um so you can slip your hand under here uh they will lead down some wonderful what's called bellows pockets you could identify bellows pockets by the fact that they don't sit flush to the jacket they uh protrude out a little bit to allow for a little bit more capacity inside the pocket itself uh it does up at the top so it's called a storm collar so it does up all the way to top and of course it has the belt which is the sort of signature of the norfolk jacket this is this particular one is made in a cashmere tweed which is unusual to you know you've i've never seen anything like it up until this point weirdly enough i'm now starting to see other people do it so it's clearly catching on as an idea um it means that it's it's tweed which is which is a weave remember tweed is not necessarily just a fabric it's a weave so this is cashmere done just like that just as i i have uh a cashmere jersey uh jacket and home you know it's just all about how things are woven and so this is cashmere woven in tweed and it's beautiful so underneath uh the jacket i would say that you should always be wearing a shirt and tie uh that would be another one of my rules there's not not everybody follows that even as i say you know there's a lot of people who i know have been shooting for decades who don't necessarily they wear a lot more kind of roll necks and and so on but i quite like the small amounts of formality that can still be added to a shooting outfit so when you have a country shirt like this uh remember not to get a sort of a floppy or button-down collar have something that can hold a tie nicely this is a shooting vest so as the season drifts all the way from august through to the end of january uh there is a multitude of different uh types of weather that you can experience because it's britain i will predict it's largely going to rain and be windy and wet however sometimes you'll get lucky and having a vest like this uh is is a great thing to have because you can wear it when it's much cooler i often wear it even when it's cold uh when the rain isn't coming out i take off the field jacket so i can have a little bit more room for maneuver it's a bit more comfortable and so they also add these uh bellows pockets to uh make sure that it's accessible to things like cartridges because i think a lot of people do exactly just as i do now an absolute key item is what's called the uh field coat so this is uh or this should go over whether it's a jacket waistcoat shirt the whole lot this should be what's on top uh purdy just like a lot of brands at the moment have been really trying to accelerate their kind of technical wear so their ability to keep things looking traditional but at the same time apply all the technology with regards to fabrics that allow it to be very waterproof insulate well and keep you very comfortable while you're outdoors uh the uh the normal uh little details for example uh these bellows pockets which will happen in in the the hand warming pocket here there will be this little tab that will attach to the field jackets means that the pocket will stay open so you can easily access them when uh when the drive is running on this side as well you have what's called a sports back so the uh the little pleat here that means that there's a bit more maneuverability when you move around um it's subtly hidden in to it so it still looks like quite a formal garment especially with the tweed this is the Berkshire um and uh the the patterning as well kind of looks like the kind of thing you would have tailored as a kind of country suit uh and this would go on top of that uh now the extremities so one thing you should always have when you're shooting is a hat a flat cap like this but then again if you want to be a little bit more adventurous i saw a rather dashing american once sport a deer stalker which i thought was terrific uh days of the homburg i'm afraid sadly are over but um if you want to be super old-fashioned go for that now for the feet wellington boots are absolutely just the kind of go-to for anybody who wants uh to go shooting but purdy do have these uh strap boots and the thing about these is that when you look at original images of people shooting this is the kind of thing they wore so this is very much the traditional shooting footwear ultimately you're trudging through a lot of mud and wet grass fields all sorts of things are going to get on your boots so you want to make sure you have something that you don't mind getting dirty but hot tip always have a spare pair of shoes with you in the car so when you go for lunch and stuff you've got something to change into and the only accessory you'll need other than the gun itself is a cartridge bag and so speak to the estate owner before to make sure that you have the correct cartridges inside so whether that's steel lead a lot well actually lead's being phased out so you need to know whether it's going to be acceptable in those estates at all because some have completely banned it and gone straight for steel and also something called bismuth which is much more acceptable for things like duck because you don't want to poison the water so speak to your estate owners to make sure you bring the correct cartridges to go into here but this is all you'll need for a full day shooting and finally a little bit frivolous but i highly recommend one because it's very useful for getting through the fields is one of these walking sticks now this is this particular one i guess is hazel and the story goes that the person who actually makes these goes out into the field and seems to have some sort of spiritual connection with sticks that he finds and creates these sticks by hand all for purdy and as an investment it's one of the ones that you know i know will see me to old age uh at home so i love my uh it's actually a thumbstick that i have um which i use for going shooting and uh so keep an eye out for this one shot too that most people who that's all right you're very kind i'm delighted i fell