400NE, this double rifle at Lewis Drake site made in London. Did W.R. firm have any gunshop in London?
Yes, they had the Westley Richards Agency, a retail outlet. Likewise Webley & Scott. Neither had factories there, both made guns only in Birmingham. This rifle was made in Birmingham.
I assume you're referring to the London proof. That's meaningless. By the turn of the century, Birmingham makers proving their guns, especially rifles, in London were commonplace. I've been researching the pre-war Webley built nitro double rifles for a while now, and have written notes on 60 or 70. I've never seen one proved in Birmingham. Even those retailed by Webley themselves bear London proof, although they certainly weren't made there. Westley Richards did the same thing, although not as reliably as Webley did. Same with many other Birmingham makers. Doug Tate covered this pretty well in "Birmingham Gunmakers".
