Summary
A late-C19/early-C20 military rifle range which is located to the south east of the roadway called Wrekin Course.
Reasons for Designation
The Wrekin Rifle Range, Shropshire is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: the layout, firing ridges, martlet and butts all survive well as does the target gallery, which is separately recommended for statutory listing;
* Period: the range incorporates evidence of its use from the 1880s until the 1960s, including the periods of the Second Boer War and the First and Second World Wars;
* Rarity: relatively few firing ranges have been scheduled or listed which survive in such a complete state;
* Group value: the range has group value with the lengthy target gallery which includes twelve Hythe pattern target frames, and is listed at Grade II.
History
The range, which was initially used by the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, contracted in length during its period of use. It was latterly confined to the area south-east of the roadway known as Wrekin Course and was a 300 yard range. Previously it straddled the road and is shown on the HMSO map of 1966 (see SOURCES) as extending to 600 yards and the Ordnance Survey (OS) maps of 1889 and 1903 as extending to 900 yards.
The King's Shropshire Light Infantry was formed in 1881 in response to the Childers army reforms of that year. The regiment served in the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Second Boer War and both World Wars. The site is also recorded as being used by the Shropshire Yeomanry and the Home Guard during the Second World War. In 1968 they were merged with other regiments to form The Light Infantry.
The OS map of 1889 shows targets (plural) in the same place as the present target gallery. The 1901 map shows a single target and also a 'stone' on the target line. The OS map of 1928 appears to show a shorter version of the present gallery arrangement.
Byelaws for the range were published in May 1966 for use from September of that year.
The range was used by the Wrekin Rifle Club from the 1960s, but it is not now in use. A public footpath crosses between the target gallery and the sand butt.
Details
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS
A late-C19/early-C20 military rifle range which is located to the south east of the roadway called Wrekin Course. It is oriented north-west to south-east, with the target gallery placed at the south east behind a martlet of raised earth. The target butts, further to the south east, take advantage of the slope of the Wrekin, a natural, linear ridge which runs from the south west to the north east. Firing positions on raised ridges are evenly spaced to the north-west of the targets. There is a target store to the north east of the target gallery.
DESCRIPTION
The range is roughly rectangular, approached from the road at its northern end. It measures c.350 metres in length by c.60 metres in width. Firing banks are of earth and the walls of the target gallery are of brick, laid in English bond and Garden Wall bond with glazed, shaped capping bricks. Supports and the target frames are of iron.
There are earth banks marking the firing points at 100, 200 and 300 yards from the target line and these run from the south west to the north east. The north-western end and the flanks of the range are fenced. A pathway runs along the south-west flank of the range, allowing access to the target gallery. The 100 yard firing bank is broader and higher than the others and has twelve, one-person firing trenches (or 'foxholes') inset. These are lined with concrete blocks and can each accommodate one person to chest height. The target end has a high martlet with square timber baulks to its firing side, which may originally have been covered by earth. Behind this the target gallery has twelve, Hythe-pattern, iron target frames which are set in a frame trench. Iron brackets and T-shaped posts support the concrete gallery roof. Steps lead down to a corrugated iron target store, to the north east of, and on line with, the target gallery. Two further corrugated sheds near the entrance to the range may have been used as temporary magazines during activity at the range and one has a square concrete stand with bolts projecting which may have been used to anchor a machine gun. Further to the south-east is a sand bank which forms a stop butt and follows the rise of the hillside.
EXCLUSIONS
The target gallery (Grade II listed) and all fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground beneath these features is, however, included.
