Heritage kit to keep in the family

Fieldsports have evolved exponentially over the past three generations, along with ever more sophisticated clothing and equipment designed to increase the chances of success – although the adage “all the gear, no idea” often rings true. Where our forebears once waded freezing rivers with little protection, we now cast a comfortable line wearing sophisticated warm waders and Vibram-soled boots. In the shooting field, the traditional side-by-side has been largely usurped by the ubiquitous over-and-under, and the body protectors and ungainly crash hats sported by some who ride to hounds would have drawn gasps of incredulity from their elegantly turned-out predecessors.

And yet I have noticed it’s often the rider wearing an ancient but beautifully tailored black coat and carrying a pre-war Swaine Adeney hunting whip who is up with hounds at the end of a long run, and during a stratospheric pheasant day in Yorkshire last season those armed with traditional Purdeys and Holland & Hollands were on the most consistent form. Only last week I found