Set your sights on the Holland & Holland Shooting Grounds
Featuring a 100-yard outside rifle range, luxury lounge and cutting-edge ‘rifle shooting cinema’, Holland & Holland's Middlesex country destination is a must-visit for marksmen
Words: Jonathan Wells
The Holland & Holland Shooting Grounds are so close to London that, on a quiet day, legend has it you can hear the distant whispers of 28-bore shotguns from Piccadilly Circus.
Well, perhaps not. But the country destination remains stunningly close to the capital — and is the finest shooting retreat to be found within the M25. Set in 130 acres of open countryside, Holland & Holland has been providing world-class tuition on these hallowed grounds since 1932 — and recent renovations have locked, loaded and led them to the cutting edge of shooting tutelage.
Among these new facilities, Holland & Holland’s rifle Shooting Cinema is unique to Britain, and allows budding marksmen to practise on interactive film clips of running boar and other quarry with live, full-power ammunition.
And then there’s the classic ranges. Catering to both game and sporting shots – and boasting a wide range of simulated game and clay pigeon targets – the 100-yard outside rifle range provides full facilities to test, zero, and practise rifle shooting in preparation for stalking.
But, even though the facilities are second-to-none — with new layouts including wild-flower meadows and a cosy bothy to relax in between stands — the main reason to visit Holland & Holland’s refurbished facility is the tuition services. As well as lessons, the shooting ground is also the perfect place for gun-fittings and a range of additional courses to improve performance in the field.
When the time comes to reload, the on-site lodge offers a wealth of new facilities. A sumptuous lounge and well-stocked copper-top bar serve a British menu, with dishes created by chef Joshua Hunter.
And, if you’ve got a corporate event to throw, there’s no better destination on which to set your sights than Holland & Holland’s Shooting Ground. The boardroom has 1,184 bottles of red Bordeaux wine on display — mainly made up of Chateau Canon and Rauzan-Segla, but also Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Berliquet and Leoville-Barton.
It’s a sure-fire way to impress. And, along with the lessons, facilities and Bordeaux boardroom, a cigar-tasting lounge is soon to open — meaning you’ll be able to smoke the competition on the range, and then have a smoke to celebrate.
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