By Tom Sternal
Consider this fair warning: Spending even a few minutes on the Westley Richards website will leave you with lust in your heart. That’s been true of the English gunmaker’s fine firearms for generations, but the firm’s accessories are equally exquisite.
Founded in 1812, the Birmingham company makes some of the finest leather goods on the planet, including its latest, the Bournbrook Travel Bag Collection, launched earlier this year. The name of the collection references Westley’s 1894 move to the Bournbrook district, in southwest Birmingham, following the tremendous success of its “droplock” action. Westley Richards remained in Bournbrook until 2008, when it combined its gun- and leathermaking operations in a new factory in Birmingham’s Gun Quarter.
The Bournbrook Collection features four types of bags in nine configurations, including a wash bag (British parlance for a Dopp kit), a briefcase, a rucksack and a 48-hour bag. Each comes with different material options—and each is stunning in every way. The hardware is solid brass, and every detail is considered and adapted to modern uses, from a side-access shoe pocket in the 48-hour bag to the fully padded laptop section in the briefcase. Two details that are sure to thrill gun lovers are the checkering pattern on the bellows-pocket flaps and the lining in each bag that pays homage to master engraver Paul Lantuch.
Prices range from $335 for the wash bag to $2,650 for the 48-hour bag in buffalo hide. For more information, visit westleyrichards.com.
