Worcester Norton Shooting Club

The Worcester Norton Shooting Club was formed in 1983 on part of the 60-acre site of the original barracks of the historic and distinguished Worcestershire Regiment.

The Army presence ended in 1972 when a Royal Signals unit withdrew from the site. The barracks had also seen occupation by other regiments including; The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, The Enniskillen's and the Lancashire Regiment; all have which have subsequently been amalgamated into new regiments of the British Army.

Some 15 acres of the site were purchased from the Ministry of Defence; the Sports Council provided the funding subject to its exclusive use as a Sporting Facility. The site currently supports cricket, croquet, football and target shooting sports amongst others.

The name Norton Camp can be traced back to 1749 when it is documented as an area for training and shooting practise used by several local militia units. The photograph at the top of this page shows militia officers and men at Norton Camp in 1877. The Worcester Norton site is listed by Sport England as "a site of Historical Interest; its shooting connections having some of the longest documented use of any in the country”.

The Board of Directors of Worcester Norton Sports Club Limited was formed some 12 months after the Shooting Club, and works began on renovations and the operation of the other facilities within the site. The main achievement being the conversion of the Worcestershire Regiment Sergeants' Mess to its present use as the Clubhouse.

When the Hockey Club and the Taverners Cricket Club initially negotiated the purchase with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Graham S Lane and fellow Founder Member Mick Auty were approached to establish the use of the original two 30 yard Gallery Ranges which then formed the basis of the Shooting Club.

At that time ranges were referred to as A and B, however shortly afterwards they were renamed in honour of the 17th and 18th century Founding Colonels of the Worcestershire Regiment, Farrington and Charlemont (pronounced Shar - le - mon)