The Gun Trade Association archive has recently been transferred to Audley House, where James Purdey & Sons has taken on custodianship on the association’s behalf. While the archive remains the property of the GTA, its long-term preservation and organisation are now being overseen by Dr Nicholas A. Harlow, whose dual archivist roles at Purdey and the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers place him in a unique position to interpret and safeguard the trade’s documentary history.
Harlow had encountered parts of the archive before. During Simon West’s time at the GTA, early plans were made to mark the association’s 130th anniversary, an initiative halted by the pandemic. That project brought small sections of the historical material into view, particularly relating to the GTA’s foundation. When the association later decided to move the archive away from Bisley, Harlow was asked to assess its condition and determine whether Purdey could act as custodian.
Although the archive spans more than a century of organised trade activity, Harlow describes it as reasonably compact. It fits into a single filing cabinet and is dominated by minute books. These include not only the GTA’s own minutes but also those of smaller specialist bodies that were absorbed into the association over time. One dealt specifically with airguns and others represented narrower interests within the trade. Their records, now inherited by the GTA, form part of a broader institutional narrative that extends beyond the major London gunmakers.
The archive also contains several significant reports and presentations to Parliament from the interwar period. One paper, relating to discussions that shaped what became the Firearms Act 1937, was presented by Tom Purdey. The Purdey family played an active role in the association’s leadership throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Harlow notes that because a single secretary often handled duties for Purdey, the livery company and the GTA, some overlap in documentation was inevitable. As a result, Audley House already held related material, although the main GTA archive had remained elsewhere until now.
Harlow highlights that the historical involvement of the major London houses did not overshadow the contributions of the wider trade. Correspondence files include letters from provincial gun shops that supplied rifles and ammunition requisitioned by the government at the outset of the Second World War. While the ultimate purpose is not explicit, the material appears to relate to equipment gathered for Home Guard use. These lists provide rare insight into the stock held by regional RFDs and, by extension, the composition of the market at the time. Harlow sees this breadth as one of the archive’s strengths. It counters any perception that the GTA was centred solely around London’s prestige makers and instead reflects a nationwide working community.
A more detailed study of the archive will begin once the current shooting season has eased. Papers from the 1920 and 1937 Acts reveal strikingly similar lines of argument to those heard today. Although separated by nearly a century, the legislative cycles show notable continuity. Harlow believes that recognising these patterns may help the trade understand the origins of its regulatory environment and how it has responded in past periods of upheaval.
Digitisation is not yet planned but remains a possibility for selected sections. Harlow acknowledges the value of digital access but is cautious about the long-term instability of file formats and the risk of presenting shared history through a single-company lens. He stresses that while Purdey may use certain overlapping material to illustrate aspects of its heritage projects, the GTA archive belongs to the whole trade and should be interpreted in that collective spirit.
Harlow’s responsibilities as gun room manager and archivist mean that historical material informs his daily work. He regularly carries out research, assists colleagues with heritage queries and, through his archivist role within the Gunmaker’s Livery, will contribute to the Gunmakers’ 400, a celebration of The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers 400th anniversary in 2037.
For the trade, the archive represents a rare and valuable source of continuity. It captures the evolution of policy, the response of retailers to national events and the relationships between the trade’s leading companies and its vast network of regional dealers. Many of the businesses represented in the wartime records no longer exist, making the surviving documents an irreplaceable record of their contribution.
The GTA retains full ownership of all material and can request access or retrieval at any time. Purdey’s role is custodial rather than proprietary, focused on preservation and responsible interpretation. Harlow sees his task as ensuring that the collection remains intact, available and understood within its proper historical context.
At a time when the trade is again facing legislative proposals, operational pressures and questions of public perception, the archive offers a reminder that previous generations grappled with similar challenges. The surviving records show a trade that debated, adapted and collaborated, often in circumstances far more turbulent than todays. As Harlow prepares to explore the material in depth, the archive stands ready to inform the industry’s understanding of its past and its role in shaping the future.