In July 1860 the Monmouthshire Beacon reported on the occurrence of a mass brawl in the lane outside the Fountain Inn. Interestingly, it was quelled, not by the police, but by a division of the local Rifle Volunteer Corps. This sparked our curiosity, but as is so often the case when researching social history, we were dragged down a slightly different rabbit hole. The result, while too off-topic to be included in our book, is this interesting and little-known history of their rifle range at nearby Wimberry Slade;
During the mid-1800s, fears of a French invasion led to the formation of various volunteer units throughout Great Britain. The 2nd Gloucestershire Rifle Volunteers was established in 1859, and the 12th (Forest of Dean) Gloucestershire Rifle Volunteer Corps, based in Coleford, was raised as a subsidiary in April of the following year. The authorities supplied corps with weapons and local land owners were expected to make land available for field training. The 12th Glos RVC, carried out squad drill at Coleford Market Hall and the Crown made land available at Wimberry Slade, near Cannop, for a rifle range.
It opened in June 1861 and had an overall length of 800 yards, segregated into 13 firing points at 50 yard intervals. As well as live-fire practice, regular competitions, including some held against other volunteer units, were also held on the range.
In the 1880s, the Government equipped volunteer units with new magazine rifles and concerns were raised about safety on Wimberry Range. From 1887 only partial charges were permitted for use, and in 1900 the range was condemned completely. Extensive refurbishment and modernisation was undertaken, which included lowering the target area by 12 feet and levelling the ground in front. New targets were also installed, which were the latest Ralston dual canvas design.
The range was officially reopened by Captain Buchanan on 31 March, 1902. A large crowd of volunteers and the general public attended the opening ceremony, at which Parkend brass band played. Afterwards, more than 200 invited guests were provided lunch in the grounds of Worcester Lodge.
The 12th Glos RVC was disbanded in 1909 and the range handed back to the Crown. The Forest of Dean Rifle Club was formed the same year and took over management of the site. Events soon overtook them, however, and at the advent of WWI the range was again taken over for military service.
The range was in constant use throughout WWI, but was returned to the Forest of Dean Rifle Club after the war. During WWII it was used by members of the Home Guard, together with British and U.S. troops who were stationed in the Forest.
After WWII the range fell out of use and today only the final two-thirds survive; with the initial section probably lost during the construction of a forest road on the hill above it. Some of the firing points on the surviving section are still discernible, and over the years numerous children have spent hours there, collecting spent shell casings. The target pit, which once housed the mechanism to raise and lower the targets, also survives. It incorporates a small recessed area where the person responsible for repairing and changing the unused (lower) target would sit. Writing in 2019, Mike Howell said he could remember much of the target framework still in-situ, but by 2023 only a single iron section remained.