Normanton, Derbyshire

Normanton is a southern suburb of the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England, situated approximately two miles south of the city centre. Neighbouring suburbs include Littleover and Pear Tree.

History

The modern suburb grew from an ancient village, originally named Normanton-by-Derby. The area is thought to have been the site of one of the major Viking settlements in the Derby area, hence the name, Normanestune, which means "Norseman's settlement".

"Normanestune"(sic) is mentioned twice in the Domesday book, once recording the lands of the King and again for land belonging to Henry de FerrersHenry was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire including Arleston, Sinfin, Aston-on-Trent and Hartshorne.] when it was valued at ten shillings"Domesday Book: A Complete Translation". London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.742 and 9] .

The location of the original village lies just south of the modern ring road, its main thoroughfare commemorated by the present day Village Street. St. Giles' Parish Church stands on Village Street, atop a slight hill, and its spire can be seen across most of the district.

The portion of the district to the north of the ring road is properly called New Normanton, although in popular usage the name is rarely heard. The area began to rapidly urbanise in the mid 19th century and Normanton was eventually absorbed by the expansion of Derby's boundaries up to the 1930s. Much of the housing stock in the area is typical Victorian brick terracing.

Modern Normanton has a high ethnic minority population, with the largest concentration of Derby's Asian community. Areas such as Normanton Road (the main thoroughfare leading to the centre of Derby) have numerous Asian shops, businesses, fast food outlets and in particular is well known for its range of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants. Since the expansion of the European Union in 2004, there has been a noticeable influx of new immigrants to the area from various Eastern European countries.

A prominent local landmark was once the Normanton Barracks, headquarters of the Sherwood Foresters regiment. Demolished in 1981, the site is now the Foresters Leisure Park, including the Showcase cinema. Nearby is the Oast House pub, a notable modern building which is, as the name suggests, in the style of a traditional English oast house (a type of structure totally alien to this part of the country). Reflecting Normanton's religious diversity are a wide number of places of worship, including the Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara in Stanhope Street and the mosque on Rosehill Street. The mosque on Rosehill street has been undergoing an expansion for many years and this expansion was completed last year. The mosque is now able to accommodate more people for prayers. This is reflective of the growing Muslim community in Normanton.Other religious landmarks in Normanton include the mosque on Porter Road.

An important landmark in the Normanton area was the church on St Chad’s Road however this was demolished in the mid 90's and the area is now used as a playing field for children attending St Chad’s School. There were talks of creating a faith centre at this location before the turn of the millennium however these plans failed to materialize due to a lack of funding.

The area's main public recreational facility is Normanton Park, opened in 1909; this date is proudly recorded on the clock-tower over the small building used, until the late 50s, as a tearooms. The Derbyshire Tennis Centre is adjacent to the park.

The Arboretum is an important landmark located in the area. It became the first public park in the country when it was given to the town of Derby by Joseph Strutt on Wednesday, September 16th 1840. Parts of the park were used in Ken Russell's film of D. H. Lawrence's 'Women in Love'.

Next to the Arboretum was Reginal Street Public Baths. Which contained Turkish and slipper batchs and was decorated with ornate tilework and turkish arches.

Close to the Arboretum is the former Crown Derby China factory, now a showroom and demonstration area.

A popular sports club for the residents of Normanton is Merlins boxing club, which has been around for many decades, and has produced many fine amateur boxers. Another boxing gym in Derby is One nation boxing club which is run by Clifton Mitchell, who was a successful professional boxer at the heavyweight division. He challenged for both British and European boxing titles. Tony Sewell, a world Taekwondo champion also has a fitness gym providing Taekwondo instruction.

Famous residents

Steve Bloomer, Forward for Derby County F.C.

Steve Bloomer was one of Derby County's most outstanding footballers. He was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County F.C., Middlesbrough F.C. and England before the First World War. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game. Bloomer signed for Derby County in April 1892, scoring 4 goals in his first game. He became Derby's leading scorer for 14 seasons and won the first of his 23 England caps (28 goals) in 1895. Steve Bloomer was married and had 4 daughters, two of whom died young. 34 and later 81 Cummings Street in the Normanton area of the city were two of the first houses that he and his wife Sarah Bloomer first inhabited.

Albert Stanley - M.P., Minister and Chair of London Transport was born here [ [http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/learning/online_resources/ecobus_omnibus/pg/1919.htm#72 London Transport Biography] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.derby-guide.co.uk/normanton.html Normanton] at The Derby Guide
* [http://www.derbyarboretum.co.uk/ The Arboretum] web site.
* [http://www.royalcrownderby.co.uk/about-us/ Crown Derby China]