Something about fine craftsmanship speaks to the soul.
The golfer Ben Hogan explained that when a golf club was fitted exactly to the player, the sensation of a perfectly struck golf shot passed “from the clubhead up the shaft to the grip, into the hands, up the arms and into the heart.” The shot, he said, was effortless. You made your swing, looked up and your ball was rising toward the target. You have no memory of the impact, only the knowledge that the shot was, again, well struck. You felt it in your being.
It’s the same with any tool, whether a Japanese backsaw for woodworking, a dependable box call that coaxes reluctant gobblers from the woods or the finely tuned fishing rod that effortlessly lays flies to riffles where discerning cutthroat seem to be judging an angler’s skills more than they’re searching for food.
While visiting London, I visited Holland & Holland’s legendary Gunroom. Lacking time to visit their renowned shooting grounds, I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to visit their London location. Like many other sites in this often-maligned city, the visit was yet another reason to remind me why London remains one of the world’s great capitols.
The Holland & Holland retail store is colocated with Beretta’s flagship London Gallery a 36 St. James Street. Both are reminders that these companies know how to both make and showcase truly fine goods, whether it’s firearms, knives, luggage or clothing.
The current Gunroom is located in a secure location two floors above street level. A new location is being finished a short distance away. I know it’s not completed yet because my navigation system took me there first. Fortunately, the current location is only a short walk away.
The Gunroom, as is appropriate in a British climate that bars almost anything that could be used to commit a crime (except, of course, criminals), isn’t easily accessible. Strictly by appointment only, it’s located off the street and secured behind locked doors.
Once you’re cleared for entry, you’re immediately surrounded by Holland & Holland history. Bookcases line the walls filled with notes on every gun H&H that has ever been built. Gunroom manager Rupert Haynes not only regaled me with stories of the fine historic guns displayed there, he explained how all Holland & Holland guns begin with the same uncompromising standards. That means silky smooth actions, great triggers and the same sensation of fine fitting that sets custom guns above and apart from mass production products.
After the gun is exactly fitted to the customer’s measurements, the personalization morphs from specific fitment to artistic expression. According to Haynes, the work can add literal years to the time between a gun is first ordered, fitted and then finally delivered.
As you can imagine, this level of work isn’t inexpensive. But the finished product is something that isn’t built for a season, it’s designed to function for generations.
For those of us who will likely never have the experience of holding — let alone shooting — a Holland & Holland build, seeing their products and processes makes them even more impressive.
As always, we’ll keep you posted.