Royal visit for Shoreham Airport-based sword firm
HRH The Duke of Gloucester has been given a tour of the museum and workshop at a swords-manufacturing business in Shoreham.
Pooley Sword Ltd is the leading cutler of swords, dirks and lancestothebritisharmedforces, Commonwealth & Overseas Defence Forces. The company supplies military and ceremonial swords across the world.
Prince Richard, Duke of
Gloucester, visited the company’s base at Highdown House, Shoreham Airport, earlier this month. A spokesperson for Pooley Sword said the firm was ‘delighted’towelcomehrhthe Dukeofgloucestertomeetmanagingdirector/chairmanrobert Pooley MBE and the team.
Pooley Sword is commissioned to create a great number of ceremonial swords for the Royal Family, British Armed Forces, the Commonwealth and private collectors, and ahead of the visit the spokesperson said it would be ‘a great pleasure to show the Duke of Gloucester
around our museum and workshop and also give him the opportunity to see our skilled craftsmen at work’.
“He will be introduced to our head cutler, Peter Harmsworth (ex-wilkinson Sword), who has over 30 years’ experience making and refurbishing swords as well as our head designer, Adam Cook,” they added.
Pooley Sword started life 18 years ago, shortly after Wilkinson Sword stopped making ceremonial swords after closing its sword factory at Acton, west London.
The Pooley Sword spokesperson said: “In August 2005, the very distinguished sword makers Wilkinson Sword, who had been established for over two-hundredyears,ceasedtrading as sword makers. Robert Pooley, who had been commissioningswordsfromwilkinson’s for over forty years, purchased fromwilkinson’stheirdrawings, sparesandmuchoftheirtooling, including both heavy and light machinery.”
Pooley Sword now makes ceremonial items and offers a refurbishment service. The spokespersonsaid:“ourswords arehandmadefortheindividual by highly skilled sword cutlers using traditional materials and methods. We create genuine swords, the only difference is that they are not sharpened and are for ceremonial purposes only. Our swords are not massproduced or factory-made and we pride ourselves on creating bespokefamilyheirloomswhich willbepasseddownthroughthe generations. We are currently busy completing sword orders for commissioning officer cadets at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Lympstone, Britannia Royal Naval
College Dartmouth and RAF Cranwell. We also offer a sword refurbishment service for currentbritishmilitaryswordsand antique swords.”
The Duke of Gloucester – the late Queen Elizabeth II’S cousin – is a full-time working member of the Royal Family.
According to the Royal Family’swebsite:“heattendsnational and international events in support of The King and his duties as Head of State, as well as undertaking extensive public dutiesandengagementseveryyear reflecting his own interests and charities.”