Birmingham gun-making quality has stood test of time
Nov 30 2009 By Alun Thorne
In the latest instalment of our Survivors series, Head of Business Alun Thorne visited a gunmakers that is thriving while others falter.
What do Tom Selleck, the Lebanese Prime Minister and the King of Spain – that’s the one on the Spanish throne as opposed to the former England slow left-armer – have in common?
The unlikely answer is that they all look to Birmingham when it comes to satisfying their gun needs. Or more to the point, they turn to Westley Richards.
It is nearly two centuries since the company was established in the city by founder William Westley Richards and despite a shiny new headquarters on the edge of Birmingham’s historic gun quarter, the processes and end product have barely changed since the first barrel was turned in 1812.
Walking into the retail centre in Pritchett Street is a unique experience that immediately whisks you off thousands of miles to the savannas of Africa as you are greeted by the fruits of the company’s labours – a stuffed antelope, walls adorned by terrifying antlers and waste bins carved out of elephant’s feet; Linda McCartney would never have approved.
As one might expect, the showroom is full of the latest hunting and sports shooting paraphernalia and while this is developing into a crucial strand of the company’s long term business plan, it is upstairs in the workshops that you find the real soul of Westley Richards.
Here 15 artisans – and there is no question that they meet all the necessary criteria – work diligently and painstakingly at creating the masterpieces that will eventually turn their attentions to bringing down anything from clay pigeons to some of the biggest beasts that walk the planet.
