End of an era as Barnard Castle's only gun shop is to close

Teesdale’s only high street gun retailer has triggered the end of an era after more than 40 years in business.
FE Wilkinson’s, of Barnard Castle, which was established in 1972, is due to close at the end of the month after the current owner, Dennis Steadman, set his sights on retirement. It is believed that this will be the first time in about 300 years that Barnard Castle will be without a gun shop.
Mr Steadman, who lives in Brough, took over the shop 13 years ago following the death of Richard Christon, who in 1993 took the reins from Eric Wilkinson, a founder member of Teesdale Gun Club.
Having shared his expertise and passion for shooting with customers over the years, Mr Steadman has now decided to close the business.
Born and raised in Great Musgrave in the upper Eden Valley, Mr Steadman’s love of country pursuits began as a young boy when he would go mole catching with his father Harold. Fox hunting, rat catching, fish tickling and ferreting also took up much of his days growing up. Mr Steadman, 62, said: “It all started when I was about five years old going with my dad. I loved being out in the countryside. It was the way I was brought up.
“I couldn’t wait to grow up and have my own gun. All the guns used to be kept on the beam in those days. It was part of the furniture. There were no security cabinets.
“As soon as I heard the gun coming off the beam I would say, where are you going dad? Can I come? I want to come. The best days of my life were when I was going fishing or shooting.”
Before his days in the shop, Mr Steadman worked for the North West Ambulance Service as station officer in Brough. Unfortunately, health reasons forced him to take early retirement. In 1997 Mr Steadman wrote a book, There for the Taking: Confessions of a Reformed Poacher, which documents his poaching tales from over the years. The shop opportunity then emerged in June 2004.
He said: “When I left the ambulance service I thought that was it really. I had never been in retail at all. I visited the shop in Eric’s time then Richard Christon bought it. When Richard died I bought it. My vision was to carry on what Eric and Richard had both done. It is a traditional country store but it always had classier merchandise and I wanted to continue with that.”
The popular shop has offered everything for the shooter from shotguns and air rifles to scopes and high-end clothing. He said: “Stepping back has been on my mind for a couple of years now. Closing the shop for the final time is going to be disastrous for me because I might never see some of my customers ever again. They have been part of my life for the past 13 years.
“I’m looking forward to having my time though and being able to go shooting or fishing and I make walking sticks.”
Mr Steadman has also seen a change in peoples’ shopping habits. He said: “It’s online shopping now – we’re all guilty of it. It has helped me make up my mind.” Over the years, Mr Steadman has welcomed countless members of the shooting fraternity including the 11th Lord Barnard, the 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and the Duke of Norfolk.