Temple Bright advises on sale of London climbing centres business Stronghold
22/05/2025
Bristol and London law firm Temple Bright has worked with the owners of UK specialist climbing centres business Stronghold, on the sale of the business to Paris-based Climbing District.
Stronghold offers two of the largest bouldering gyms in North London. Located in Tottenham Hale and London Fields, Stronghold offers climbing workshops, coaching sessions and classes. The business was founded in 2017 by Patrick Hammond, who is remaining with the business to assist with post-acquisition integration.
Climbing District is a premium network of urban climbing gyms redefining the indoor climbing experience in Europe. With locations in Paris, London, and Milan, they create lifestyle-driven spaces where climbing, wellness, creativity, and community converge.
Each Climbing District venue combines world-class climbing facilities with inspiring environments that include coworking areas, a social club, and a specialty coffee shop — designed to elevate the everyday life of modern city dwellers.
Partick Hammond said: “We are delighted to have achieved this deal, which represents a great opportunity for Stronghold. Our growth over the past eight years has exceeded all expectations and the business is now at the point where it will really benefit from the expertise and resources of a respected international partner.
“All our discussions with the team at Climbing District have shown that they are a natural fit and are ideally positioned to take Stronghold to the next level.”
The Temple Bright team was led by corporate partner James Vickerman, who said: “I have worked with Patrick and Stronghold since it was founded. Patrick has done an exceptional job of creating and growing a first class climbing offering.
“Only three years into its journey, Stronghold was hit with the challenges of the pandemic, which had a particular impact on leisure and hospitality businesses. It is a real badge of honour for such a young business, operating in this sector, to survive and thrive through COVID.
“I have no doubts that Stronghold will continue to go from strength to strength as part of the Climbing District group.”
Climbing District was advised by French-founded international law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel, whose team was led by counsel Matteo Matteucci (London).
Temple Bright was launched in Bristol in 2010 using a tech-enabled, streamlined business model. It opened its second office in London EC2 in 2013 and now has more than 75 partners, evenly spread across the two locations. The firm advises clients ranging from start-ups to PLCs across a range of sectors, with significant expertise in mergers and acquisitions.
