Located in

Earlsfield Earlsfield is an area within the London Borough of Wandsworth, London, England. It is a typical London suburb and comprises mostly residential Victorian terraced houses with a high street of shops, bars, and restaurants between Garratt Lane, All ...

in South West London, The Borough of Wandsworth Rifle Club is one of the oldest clubs belonging to the

National Smallbore Rifle Association The National Small-bore Rifle Association, the NSRA, is the national governing body for all Small-bore Rifle and Pistol Target Shooting in the United Kingdom, including Airgun and Match Crossbow Shooting. The NSRA is based at The Lord Roberts C ...

in the United Kingdom. The club has indoor and outdoor ranges for small-bore rifle target shooting, as well as air pistol and air rifle facilities.

History

The inception of the Borough of Wandsworth Rifle Club dates back to 1903 when members of the Borough of Wandsworth Council Lt Gen Sir Frederick Lance KCB and Mr F.J. Liddington started the club. Christening it the Earlsfield & District Rifle Club, they and the 70 members of the club were allowed to use the Public Baths as an indoor range during the winter. It was in the following year that the club was renamed to the Borough of Wandsworth Rifle Club and the borough council granted a piece of land near the

River Wandle The River Wandle is a right-bank tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. With a total length of about , the river passes through the London boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Wandsworth, where it reaches the Thames. A sh ...

of approximately two acres at a nominal rent for the erection of an indoor and outdoor range. The site is still occupied by the club. When the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

started, the club lived up to its motto, "For The Empire", providing facilities for drill and rifle shooting. Some 2000 men enrolled from the area and a large number of these joined the regular forces and saw action on the fronts. The club has kept itself in the forefront of .22 rifle shooting since its earliest days Members have been selected to represent

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

, Nordic & World Games. Other members have been selected to represent England & Scotland at NSRA Open meetings held once a year at Bisley and Scotland. Lady Members have also been selected to shoot in their respective County Teams

Facilities

The club has indoor and outdoor ranges for .22 target rifles, air pistols and air rifles. The indoor range consists of a 6 lane gallery for small-bore target shooting. Outdoors there is a covered point for and .22 ranges as well as and 10 metre air rifle target galleries.

References

External links

The Borough of Wandsworth Rifle Club WebsiteDamage Factory - Private Shooting FacilityThe National Small-bore Rifle Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borough of Wandsworth Rifle Club Rifle shooting sports Sports clubs and teams established in 1903 Shooting ranges in the United Kingdom Shooting sports in England