The Stock Exchange Rifle Club is located in the City of London. While the origins of the club were once linked to the Stock Exchange, membership is open to all and the current membership is drawn from all walks of life. The majority either tend to live or work near central London and the "square mile". The club was one of the first formed in the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the Boer War to meet the need to recruit soldiers who could already shoot. It is a

Registered Charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. The City range of the club is located under

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

, and all City-based shooting is done there. The club is also active in long range target rifle shooting and is based for this purpose at the National Shooting Centre, Bisley (some 40 minutes drive from SW London). The Stock Exchange Rifle Club is affiliated to the well-known London and Middlesex Rifle Association - which boasts some of the best facilities and services in the Bisley complex.

History

The Stock Exchange Rifle Club was founded in 1901 by Colonel (later, Sir) Robert Inglis, who responded to Lord Roberts' call to establish small-arms shooting clubs across the land. Lord Roberts, as commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force sent out to put down the Boer rebellion, had discovered that the shooting skills of his soldiers left much to be desired. After handing over to

Kitchener Kitchener may refer to: People * Earl Kitchener, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom ** Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850–1916), British Field Marshal and 1st Earl Kitchener ** Henry Kitchener, 2nd Earl Kitchener (1846–1937) ...

, he returned to Britain determined to do something about it. He wanted British soldiers to be as practiced with the rifle as their famous forebears had been with the longbow. Inglis wrote to members of the "House", that is, the

Stock Exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

, of which body his firm was a member, on 18 November 1901, and by 19 December, capital had been raised, and arrangements put in place to permit practice by "at least all those Members who have had no previous knowledge of rifle shooting", every Monday and Friday, at a range in the Haymarket, SW1. A similarly-named club had been formed in New York before 1878. The first annual prize meeting was held at Bisley on 5 July 1902. Membership already stood at 338: 178 Members of the Stock Exchange and 160 clerks. Inglis was in his first year as Chairman of the Stock Exchange itself, and was knighted in 1910. With all his many interests, his dedication to the establishment of the Stock Exchange Rifle Club was unstinted, and by 1903 a lease had been signed for 2 Borers Passage, just off Devonshire Square, north of Houndsditch and mere yards from the Stock Exchange itself. These premises were to provide 24 rifle positions at 100 feet, and 8 pistol ranges of 75 feet. Despite some setbacks, the new ranges were open and in use by the end of 1904, and the club's foundations were secure. The Museum of London displays an old shooting jacket, "donated by a member of the Stock Exchange Rifle Club" Main range at London Bridge

Facilities

The club has a full range of all the equipment and firearms necessary to shoot to top standards in all the current shooting disciplines. Members are regularly selected to compete for their counties and countries.

Smallbore

The City facilities are shared with the

Marylebone Rifle and Pistol Club Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it mer ...

, and provide a 6-lane 25m .22 prone and gallery range and a 10m air pistol gallery. These dedicated facilities opened for shooting in April 2013 beneath

on an initial 25-year lease from the City of London Corporation, owners of the Bridge. At Bisley the Stock Exchange Rifle Club uses the Commonwealth Games facilities at Lord Roberts House, HQ of the

NSRA NSRA may refer to: * National Smallbore Rifle Association, the national UK association for smallbore rifles *National Street Rod Association, an association of Street Rod shows in the United States * Non-Smokers' Rights Association, a Canadian non- ...

Fullbore

The Stock Exchange Rifle Club also competes at Bisley using

Fullbore target rifle Fullbore Target Rifle (TR) is a precision rifle shooting sport governed by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA). The sport evolved as a distinct British and Commonwealth of Nations discipline from Service rifle ( ...

s, and members of the Club have won the coveted Queen's Prize and the Grand Aggregate.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Stock Exchange Rifle Club website

The National Small-bore Rifle Association website

The London and Middlesex Rifle Association website
Rifle shooting sports Sports clubs and teams established in 1901 Shooting ranges in the United Kingdom Shooting sports in England