James Purdey and sons Ltd
Cans in London

History of Purdey Purdey was established in London in 1814, the year before the battle of Waterloo. Gun Storage Did you know that we offer a gun storage service at Audley House? If you live in or near London, or spend most of your time abroad, this can make a lot of sense. Nigel Beaumont became Chairman of Purdey in March 2007 following the retirement of Richard Purdey. The Hon Richard Beaumont, a Seely nephew and Chairman since 1970, decided to retire and the company was acquired by the Richemont Group. Although James Purdey & Sons Ltd was bought by the Seely family in 1946 it was to remain a family-owned business until 1994. The Purdey over & under gun The Purdey over & under gun is a development of the Woodward patent of 1913 which was incorporated into the company on the purchase of J.Woodward & Sons by Purdey in 1949. In 1882 the company moved from Oxford Street to the new premises on the corner of South Audley Street and Mount Street, where it remains to this day. James the Younger designed this building to accommodate his showroom, the factory for making guns and cartridges, and later it provided living quarters for his family. Today Nigel Beaumont holds the Warrants of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales. The company was granted its first Royal Warrant in 1868 by The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, an honour that has been bestowed on the Managing Director of James Purdey & Sons Ltd by each succeeding Monarch. As early as 1838, Queen Victoria is recorded as having bought a pair of Purdey pistols. Purdey set up his gun making business in Princes Street and soon moved to Manton's former premises in Oxford Street in 1826. The founder, had previously worked as head stocker for Joseph Manton, James Purdey, the foremost gunmaker of his time. Guns may be left here for long or short periods, and may be collected at any time during working hours Monday to Saturday on presentation of the original o