The Rose & Scroll Collection

Since the 1870s, Rose & Scroll engravings have helped to transform Purdey shotguns from cold metal objects into bona fide works of art. Celebrated for its “abstemious reserve”, the brand’s signature pattern was developed by
in-house engraver, James Lucas, over 150 years ago – a curvaceous, botanical motif, originally designed to soften the face of the metal and prevent glare in the field.

It has since become one of the most enduring and recognisable designs in British gunmaking: elegant, complex and
distinctly Purdey included on every bespoke gun. Like so many aspects of the brand, its finesse lies in the craftsmanship. The intricate and detailed engraving process is still carried out by hand over 120 hours – and though the pattern is standardised, each engraving is said to be like a fingerprint of the craftsman who has worked on that particular gun.

From Metal to Thread

“I was fascinated to find that the engraving on the guns initially started as a function; one that came to be considered beautiful because the craftsman rendering the engraving cared enough to make it so,” says Giles Deacon,
Creative Director at Purdey. “This creates a wonderful sense of meaning – it isn’t ornamentation for ornamentation's sake, it’s a sign of craftsmen doing their job so well it became something else entirely.”


With that in mind, Deacon has taken the aesthetic beyond firearms, applying the classic botanical style to lifestyle products and luxury goods. For Autumn/Winter 2026, a variety of pieces within the collection have been inspired by the Rose & Scroll motif, from jacquard sweaters, woven scar es and knitted capes to cut glass, pewter flasks and pocket squares.

“This enduring house signifier is at the core of how new iterations can be explored across a range of products,” adds Deacon. “We’ve taken the Rose & Scroll off our guns and let it live on silk, silver and cashmere. We’ve not reinvented or redesigned but appropriated and carried forward – and this has been done by experts in their field of making. For me, this is the definition of true British craftsmanship.”

To celebrate the enduring legacy of the Rose & Scroll, Purdey will be hosting a month-long exhibition at Audley House, the brand’s historic boutique in Mayfair, dedicated to the motif. Guests will be able to admire some of the earliest examples adoring Purdey’s historic guns, while exploring Deacon’s creative process that has helped to usher this time-honoured pattern into contemporary designs. The exhibition will open on 24th September.