Proud Stockists of Purdey

Proud Stockists of Purdey

If you weren't already aware we are now stocking Purdey a luxury leather company. Purdey has chosen Wheelers Luxury Gifts to stock their brand in store and online. We are based in the heart of Loughborough, Leicestershire where you will be able to view the collection later on this year. We recently travelled down to London to view the beautiful range of items that Purdey design and produce and placed our order with the company; whilst there we were able to view the sort of thing we would be stocking ourselves and also learnt what the business is about and how far it has come since it was founded.

View our Purdey collection now online.

A bit about Purdey

This high end prestigious luxury brand, design and make leather goods including accessories such as wallets, bags, keyrings and wash bags which are a select few items we will be stocking ourselves. They also produce a wide range of clothing for both women and men along with footwear and items such as hats, gloves and scarves.

The business was founded by James Purdey who established the brand in 1814. The premise was situated on Prince’s street, London. Within 10 years James was being spoken of as a fine designer in London.

The company moved in 1825 to 314 and ½ on Oxford Street one of the most well-known shopping areas in London; and this became the home of the brand for 57 years. In 1828 James Purdey Jr was born who when old enough James Purdey  senior knew the business would be family run and his son would take over. At the age of 30 James Purdey the younger took over the company; he was always at the forefront of changes and advances in the design process. Sadly in 1863, James Purdey senior passed away at the age of 79. Exciting news hit in 1868 on the 12th February when Purdey received its first Royal Warrant by appointment to the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII. King Edward VII wasn’t the only royal to purchase from Purdey, but Queen Victoria had also purchased a fair amount and she later granted a Royal Warrant to the company.

In 1882, the business moved again to a different premises which is where it stands today on 57 South Audley Street, London. James Purdey Jr had a child and Athol Purdey took over the company in 1900 from his father. Then the war hit and in 1920 Athol Purdey’s son’s James and Thomas who both were seriously injured in the war whilst fighting in France joined the firm; which later in 1929 they took over once Athol retired. Then the company post war became slow and the sons sold the majority of their shares to Hugh and Victor Seely; although they continued to work for the business they were no longer sole owners, Harry Lawrence joined along with James Woodward & Sons. In 1955 Richard Beaumont took over assisted by Harry Lawrence.  In 1973 Mrs Richard Beaumont set up a business adjoining the Mount Street shop selling high quality clothing and accessories. In 1994 James Purdey & Sons which was acquired by Vendome PLC now known as the Richemont Group appointed Athol Purdey’s great grandson, Richard Purdey as chairman of the company; so the business was now family run again but not family owned. Then in 2014 Purdey celebrated 200 years in business.

Audley House – 57-58 South Audley Street, Mayfair

The building was designed by architect William Lambert and was completed by B.E. Nightingale and was quickly known as the most popular gun shop in the country. Audley House earned its place in British history. The building bears the scars of WWII’s air raid which when looked at close up you can still spot the great shrapnel marks in the marble pillars outside the building entrance. The Long Room which is featured inside used now for displaying leather goods was once used as a meeting room for General Eisenhower in 1942 when the shop played its role in the D-Day landings and unfortunately in 1975 every pane of glass in the east-facing side of the building was destroyed by an IRA bomb. The building today proudly preserves the values it had back then by continuing the tradition of craftsmanship, excellence, and attention to detail.

Purdey at Wheelers Luxury Gifts

We will be stocking a large amount of leather goods that will range from bags, wallets, card holders, keyrings and journals as well as home ware and luxury gifting goods. Purdey uses mostly oak bark tanned leather from a handful of tanneries left in the world that produce real vegetable tanned leather. They use the crushed bark from oak trees which gives the leather its distinct aroma and patina that you will find on antique British trunks for instance. The tanning process lasts for nine months after which the skins are hand selected by Purdey and are then passed on to the artisans. All the items embrace very traditional silhouettes which all have clean cut edges. Typical materials you would refer to as ‘country’ fabrics are used such as tweed, knitwear, fur, cotton and waterproof fabrics that are wax coated. These materials are all hand-picked with luxury in mind to ensure they last and give you the luxurious feel when using them. There are other beautiful products for both women and men; whether you are travelling and need a wash-bag or passport cover or in the market for upgrading your wallet or purse.

If you would like to learn more about our Purdey range then you can contact us via email or call 01509266320.



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