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Holland & Holland

www.hollandandholland.com

The History of Holland & Holland
The firm was founded by Harris Holland (1806-96) in the year 1835. Although accounts of his background are somewhat sketchy, it is believed that his father was an organ builder, while Harris had a tobacco wholesale business in London. Obviously he was successful, as he was often seen at various pigeon shoots at important London clubs, as well as leasing a grouse moor in Yorkshire.

Being a very accomplished shot, his friends convinced him to start his own gun-making business. At first the guns bore the inscription H.Holland, without an address, and it is probable that these were built in the trade to his design. It is not known when Harris started his own manufacturing operation, but it is estimated to be in the 1850's. This start makes him very unusual among the London Best makers, as others such as Purdey, Boss, Lang and Lancaster had apprenticed with Joseph Manton, while others such as Beesley, Grant and Atkin apprenticed with Purdey or Boss.

Having no children of his own, he took on his nephew Henry Holland as an apprentice in 1861. In 1867 Henry became a partner and in 1876 the name changed to Holland & Holland. Although Henry was a full partner, Harris kept strict control and was the only one who could sign a cheque until he died in 1896.

Amajor date in the history of the company is the year 1883, when Holland & Holland entered the trials organised by the magazine The Field, and won all the rifle categories with flying colours. This set a new standard of excellence for the competition among London gun makers, which they scrambled to catch up to. In 1885 the rights to the trade name ROYAL were granted, and in the same year the patents were granted to Holland & Holland for the famous Paradox gun, a shotgun with the front two inches of the barrels rifled.

Holland & Holland had another major impact on rifle making when they developed and patented the belted cartridge case in 1904. This has led to many famous calibers, the .375 H & H Magnum Belted Rimless being the foremost among them.

In 1908 the well known detachable lock feature with the small lever was patented and the last major development in the sidelock side-by-side occurred in 1922 when the assisted opening mechanism was patented. This gun, the famous self-opening ROYAL side-by-side, has been influential in gun-making throughout the world.

Holland & Holland was very active for the Ministry of Defence in both world wars. In WW1 they were especially well known for the duplex choke Zeppelin guns that fired a ball and chain, while in WW2 they produced 23,177 of the highly accurate No.4 (T) the Sniper Rifles.

Prudent business decisions helped the company through lean times in the gun-making industry. During the depression years, Colonel Jack Holland, son of Henry, sold the very valuable school property in Wembley and purchased the land in Northwood, which is still in use by the school today. In the period after WW2, under the leadership of new owner and Managing Director Malcolm Lyell, the company made many sorties to India where guns from the famous collections of the Princes were bought back, which made for excellent business in used guns. Today the company is still thriving. All outstanding shares were purchased in 1989 by the Chanel Group. Since then the factory building, in use since 1898, has been extensively renovated and equipped with the latest technology. The ROYAL Over & Under was improved and reintroduced and is now built in 12, 20, 28 and .410 Gauge, while the new Sporting Over & Under was introduced with a removable trigger plate lock. Of course the ROYAL side-by-sides are still built as shotguns and double rifles, as well as bolt action rifles based on the Mauser 1898 action.

In the 1990's Holland & Holland has started on a programme of major expansion. An exclusive line of clothing and accessories has been introduced, both for the shooting public and for discerning ladies and gentlemen to combine quality and fashion. New stores have been opened in Paris on Avenue Victor Hugo, in New York at 10 East 40th Street, Suite 1910, Harrods and in London's Heathrow Terminal 3, while the London flagship store at 31-33 Bruton Street has been completely renovated and expanded. The Shooting Grounds in Northwood have been beautifully modernized.

We celebrated our 165th anniversary in the year 2000!

LONDON
Holland & Holland
31-33 Bruton Street
LONDON
W1J 6HH
Tel: +44.20.7499.4411
Fax: +44.20.7408.7962
E-mail: gunroomuk@hollandandholland.com

(Edited and added to by NitroX)

Edited by NitroX (01/04/05 03:26 AM)