doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly; History; Chronology; Serial Numbers

=============================================================================
Reilly 50 yard shooting Gallery at 315 Oxford Street identified - closed about 1870

The mystery of the Reilly 50yard shooting gallery at 315 Oxford Street may be solved. The history will be changed; Here is the logic:

1) Reilly advertised the shooting gallery "on the premises" from the time 315 Oxford Street opened in August 1858 up to about 1870. Below is the last advertisement so far found in the London papers for the range.

2) Remember that there were three "315 Oxford Street" addresses in existence at the time - (referenced below using the re-numbers put in place after 1881.
-- 277, 281 - Reilly - called "315" including the overhang over 275, Salvation Army entranceway),
-- 287, 289 - Purdey - pre-1881 at 314, 315 Oxford Street called "314 1/2"
-- 303, 305 - the Ash Residence house (previously a hospital) located pre-1881 called "314, 315c".
...all within a block of each other.

3). 283 - Above it was speculated that the adjacent building to Reilly later renumbered 283 with a long thin 28 ft wide plot that extended 65 yards to Hanover Square was the Reilly Shooting gallery.

4) Conclusion:

-- a) "283" was a fourth building numbered "315" on Oxford Street pre 1881 and it was adjacent to Reilly's workshop. It likely was originally part of the Reilly complex at 315 Oxford Street and was the location of the shooting gallery.

--b) Reilly's last so far known advertisement for the shooting gallery at "315" was in 1867.

--c) The building was bought in 1871 by a Billiard professional named Joseph Bennett and turned into a Billiard "gallery." It was located at "315, Oxford Street"
https://www.snookerheritage.co.uk/normans-articles/past-masters/joseph-bennett/


From Wikipedia:
"Joseph Bennett was an English champion player of English billiards. He was the billiards champion three times when it was played on a challenge basis.

Bennett was born in 1842 in Town Malling, Kent, and played his first billiards match aged 22.

In November 1870, Bennett played John Roberts Jr. for the Billiards Championship and �200, and won the title with the scoreline 1,000-905. The match was watched by over 300 spectators.[2] Roberts beat Bennett 1,000-637 the following year, in January 1871, to regain the title.[3]

Bennett made a further unsuccessful title challenge in November 1871, losing 942�1,000 to William Cook, but won the title again in November 1880, beating Cook 1,000-949. Bennett successfully defended the title in January 1881, beating Tom Taylor 1,000-910. During the match against Taylor, Bennett set a new championship record break of 125.

In September 1881, Bennett, who had broken his arm when being thrown out of a gig, resigned the title when challenged by Cook. He made one further unsuccessful challenge for the title, losing 1,360-3,000 against Roberts in June 1885.

He taught billiards in London. Following a stroke on Christmas Day 1904, he died on 17 January 1905 at his home in Mayfair, London, from "apoplexy following a state of paralysis." "

--d) The Billiard club's address number changed to "283" after 1881.

--e) The actress Miss Emily Bennett, listed as an address both 315 Oxford Street and after 1881 283 Oxford Street, indicating she likely was the daughter of Joseph Bennet, Billiard World Champion (she couldn't have been more than 18 years old in 1881 (see below)

If you want some fun detective work on London society at the time here are the advertisements:

1) Last so far found advertisement for the Reilly shooting gallery:
25 Oct 1867, "London Evening News"


2) Opening of Bennett's billiard club at 315 Oxford Street:
13 Jun3 1871 "The Sportsman"


3) Confirmation that this "315" is indeed 283, the Bennett Billiard Club:


4) Miss Emily Bennett - the burlesque actress (Joseph's daughter) listing both "315" (pre November 1881) and "283" (post Nov 1881) addresses?


Here is a photographic analysis of the properties 277/281 (Reilly) and 283 (Bennett):




As for Joseph Bennett's mention of residing in 1881 at "the Oxford Club," the history of that gentleman's club, a very important club in London history, is interesting. The Oxford Club (a billiard table was always center-piece) leased premises at an "Oxford Street" address in 1881 but never occupied them. The lease must have been let by Mr. Joseph Bennett.

In the fall of 1880, a few young men of Lynn, wishing to form a Club, chose a committee to find quarters and report at a following meeting.

The committee reported that rooms could be procured on Oxford Street. It was at once voted to engage these rooms, and to name the new organization the Oxford Club.

Shortly after this action, it was ascertained that the Club could secure a more suitable room in the Rank Building on Exchange Street. It was determined to take such room; and while, therefore, the proposed quarters on Oxford Street were never occupied, the name Oxford Club was retained. One pool table, one billiard table, a few chairs and a card table were purchased, and the young Club entered into its first home on Exchange Street, with a membership of fourteen, limited to twenty. This limit was very soon reached.

You can read it here:
http://wiki.genealogytoday.com/The_Oxford_Club_1909_History.html
"In 1887 Mr. Josiah C. Bennett was elected President, but declined to serve," (Wonder if this were indeed the 3 times world champion?)

Finally the dimensions of a standard English billiard table on the surface is 10'x5'.
-- If you allow 5' for a cue, then the interior walls of 283 (315), formerly Reilly's shooting gallery, had to be at least a bit over 20' wide. The estimated exterior width of 283 from photos is about 28'. For a shooting gallery, 20 feet x 50 yards is pretty impressive!
-- The length of a table is 10' on the table surface...at 5' per cue and the tables had to occupy 25' feet each for comfort. He had 12 tables on three floors, which included private tables. Say 5 tables on ground and first floor - 125' ...getting pretty near 50 yards.
-- And it's not a pool "Hall"...it's a billiard "Gallery."


When I got to Pakistan I had a standard US dimensions pool table in the house (9' x 4.5'). On Friday nights the games commenced....I finally had to limit the bets to 10 rupees ($1 at the time) to prevent fights. The billiard snooker guys would show up - they absolutely didn't understand the difference between snooker and 8 ball. I won a lot of money.!

Photo from 1978, shortly before I left, after I had sold the table to a friend in Karachi: