INTRODUCTION
Totley Rifle range, now disused is located West of Sheffield near the suburb of Totley. The range closed in 1997 and is overgrown but with the aid of the attached map and a couple of hours spare you can walk round the site and locate many of the firing points and target areas. I once spent a afternoon there with a metal detector and found dozens of spent cartridges and bullets uo to 20mm caliber.
HISTORY
Colonel Hughes of the Hallamshire Rifle Volunteer corp acquired the land at Totley and it opened as a rifle range on 15 September 1900. In order for a man of a rifle battalion to receive a grant of 35 shillings a year he had to pass a course of rifle training and practice regularly. as the rifle they were using was a Lee Enfield .303 rifle with a range of over a 1000 yards they needed a suitable site and this was the only area available in Sheffield. Once the land was acquired the range and out building were constructed and the range was used by the military and then public for nearly a hundred years.
The Hallamshires fought in the 1914-1918 war at Ypres, somme Messine and Passendale losing 45 officers and 1325 NCO and men all these men probably practiced there rifle training at Totley range. The range finally closed in 1997.
MY EXPLORE
The site is quite overgrown and well hidden, although the range in disussed expect to loose some blood as there are the most massive lethal brambles all over the place. Its not until you see a warning sign of Danger Steep Drop that you know you are in the right area, a walk over some raised ground and you jump down into a concrete area which is the protected area for the target markers. having explored this area and photographed the various graffiti covered areas I wandered further up the range to find the massive bullet stop, a wall of loose sand, a quick few handfuls soon rewarded me with some flattened spent bullets of various calibers.
I then walked back down to the concrete area and found the target channels in the concrete and a store area which had seen better days but all interesting features. Walking down the range I soon found the raised areas which were the different firing points starting at 100 yard and then every 100 yards, I also found some communication plug sockets on wooden posts, probably connected to the target marker areas. Continuing further down the range I came to a road and followed that up to the 700, 800 and 900 yard firing points, never mind seeing a target at this range I could only just make out the massive bullet back stop, they must of been great shots in those days.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I have mixed some photographs I took and included some original photographs of the range in use
A Couple of hours with a Metal Detector
Map of the Area
First Sign Your Near
Start of Safe Area
Target Marker 1908
The Graffiti Starts
Somewhere to Sit
More Graffiti
Seen Better Days
Looking for Spent Bullets
1939 Cartridge, One of Many
300 Yard firing point 1932
Old Communications Socket at 500 yards
700 Yard Firing Point
900 Yard firing point, X marks The Targets
900 Yard point 1936, Machine Gun Practice, Must of Sounded Awesome
Lewis Gun Practice 1929
Expect to Loose Some Blood on This explore
Totley Rifle range, now disused is located West of Sheffield near the suburb of Totley. The range closed in 1997 and is overgrown but with the aid of the attached map and a couple of hours spare you can walk round the site and locate many of the firing points and target areas. I once spent a afternoon there with a metal detector and found dozens of spent cartridges and bullets uo to 20mm caliber.
HISTORY
Colonel Hughes of the Hallamshire Rifle Volunteer corp acquired the land at Totley and it opened as a rifle range on 15 September 1900. In order for a man of a rifle battalion to receive a grant of 35 shillings a year he had to pass a course of rifle training and practice regularly. as the rifle they were using was a Lee Enfield .303 rifle with a range of over a 1000 yards they needed a suitable site and this was the only area available in Sheffield. Once the land was acquired the range and out building were constructed and the range was used by the military and then public for nearly a hundred years.
The Hallamshires fought in the 1914-1918 war at Ypres, somme Messine and Passendale losing 45 officers and 1325 NCO and men all these men probably practiced there rifle training at Totley range. The range finally closed in 1997.
MY EXPLORE
The site is quite overgrown and well hidden, although the range in disussed expect to loose some blood as there are the most massive lethal brambles all over the place. Its not until you see a warning sign of Danger Steep Drop that you know you are in the right area, a walk over some raised ground and you jump down into a concrete area which is the protected area for the target markers. having explored this area and photographed the various graffiti covered areas I wandered further up the range to find the massive bullet stop, a wall of loose sand, a quick few handfuls soon rewarded me with some flattened spent bullets of various calibers.
I then walked back down to the concrete area and found the target channels in the concrete and a store area which had seen better days but all interesting features. Walking down the range I soon found the raised areas which were the different firing points starting at 100 yard and then every 100 yards, I also found some communication plug sockets on wooden posts, probably connected to the target marker areas. Continuing further down the range I came to a road and followed that up to the 700, 800 and 900 yard firing points, never mind seeing a target at this range I could only just make out the massive bullet back stop, they must of been great shots in those days.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I have mixed some photographs I took and included some original photographs of the range in use
A Couple of hours with a Metal Detector
Map of the Area
First Sign Your Near
Start of Safe Area
Target Marker 1908
The Graffiti Starts
Somewhere to Sit
More Graffiti
Seen Better Days
Looking for Spent Bullets
1939 Cartridge, One of Many
300 Yard firing point 1932
Old Communications Socket at 500 yards
700 Yard Firing Point
900 Yard firing point, X marks The Targets
900 Yard point 1936, Machine Gun Practice, Must of Sounded Awesome
Lewis Gun Practice 1929
Expect to Loose Some Blood on This explore
