Osmaston, Derby
Encyclopedia
Osmaston is a suburb of the city of Derby
, England
. It is situated about 4 km south of the city centre, it is written in the Domesday Book
as Osmundestune. In 1307 the manor of Osmaston was granted to Robert Holland. It was the location of Osmaston Hall
the residence of the Wilmots Baronets of Osmaston
.
The manor in Derby was the home of the ancient family of the Wilmot baronets. These baronets built Osmaston Hall
which included its own chapel of James the Lesser. The hall was demolished to make way for Ascot Drive industrial estate in 1938, whilst the chapel managed to survive until 1952.
During World War II
, on Monday, July 27, 1942, at 7.50am a lone Dornier 217
attacked the Rolls-Royce
factory in the area, which was making Merlin Engines
and vital to the war effort. The aircraft, at very low level, hit the central stores and the houses opposite. The plane turned, strafed
civilians in the Osmaston area and shot down a barrage balloon
before returning to base, 28 people were killed.
Up till 2007, Osmaston was the main location of the manufacturing unit of Rolls-Royce, until this facility was moved 2 km south to Sinfin
. The Nightingale Road, Main Works site opened in 1908 to manufacture the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
and at the rear of the site a test track called "Miniature Brooklands" was used to prove the cars.
The area was called The Osmaston Triangle, an area of Derby bounded by a railway line, Osmaston Road and Osmaston Park Road, with the two roads joining at the "Spider Bridge" in Allenton. In 2003 a major project called the 'Osmaston Housing Improvement Zone' was approved, designed to improve the condition of the local housing. This work included much of the older, privately owned terraced house
s in the area with 20 empty properties brought back into use and 93 low-income families helped with essential repairs.
In April 2009 Derby City Council agreed to buy the old Rolls-Royce site in a move towards the ongoing regeneration of Osmaston.
bowling lawns, basketball
courts a community centre and BMX
track.
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated about 4 km south of the city centre, it is written in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Osmundestune. In 1307 the manor of Osmaston was granted to Robert Holland. It was the location of Osmaston Hall
Osmaston Hall
Osmaston Hall was built in 1696 in extensive grounds of what is now Osmaston, a part of Derby. The house was the home of the Wilmot Baronets, and the Fox family before being used for a golf club and railway business. The house was demolished in 1938.-History:...
the residence of the Wilmots Baronets of Osmaston
Wilmot Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Wilmot, one in the Baronetage of Ireland and two in the Baronetage of Great Britain. One creation is extant as of 2008....
.
History
There are two places called Osmaston in Derbyshire. This Osmaston and another in the Derbyshire Dales. It has been this way for at least 900 years. Both places are mentioned in the Domesday Book and both called Osmundestune.The manor in Derby was the home of the ancient family of the Wilmot baronets. These baronets built Osmaston Hall
Osmaston Hall
Osmaston Hall was built in 1696 in extensive grounds of what is now Osmaston, a part of Derby. The house was the home of the Wilmot Baronets, and the Fox family before being used for a golf club and railway business. The house was demolished in 1938.-History:...
which included its own chapel of James the Lesser. The hall was demolished to make way for Ascot Drive industrial estate in 1938, whilst the chapel managed to survive until 1952.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on Monday, July 27, 1942, at 7.50am a lone Dornier 217
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
attacked the Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
factory in the area, which was making Merlin Engines
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
and vital to the war effort. The aircraft, at very low level, hit the central stores and the houses opposite. The plane turned, strafed
Strafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
civilians in the Osmaston area and shot down a barrage balloon
Barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level aircraft attack by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up...
before returning to base, 28 people were killed.
Up till 2007, Osmaston was the main location of the manufacturing unit of Rolls-Royce, until this facility was moved 2 km south to Sinfin
Sinfin
Sinfin is a southern suburb of Derby, England, historically it was a separate village. It contained the main centre of Rolls-Royce, on Nightingale Road...
. The Nightingale Road, Main Works site opened in 1908 to manufacture the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series.Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was originally produced at Royce's Manchester works, before moving to Derby in July 1908 and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts....
and at the rear of the site a test track called "Miniature Brooklands" was used to prove the cars.
The area was called The Osmaston Triangle, an area of Derby bounded by a railway line, Osmaston Road and Osmaston Park Road, with the two roads joining at the "Spider Bridge" in Allenton. In 2003 a major project called the 'Osmaston Housing Improvement Zone' was approved, designed to improve the condition of the local housing. This work included much of the older, privately owned terraced house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
s in the area with 20 empty properties brought back into use and 93 low-income families helped with essential repairs.
In April 2009 Derby City Council agreed to buy the old Rolls-Royce site in a move towards the ongoing regeneration of Osmaston.
Osmaston Park
At the southern edge of Osmaston is a park, known locally as “Top Park”. It is 650 meters long by 250 meters wide with a pathed perimeter of 1,500 meters. It has two grassed areas set aside as football pitches, either side of a central wooded circle called "Ash Wood" with an adventure playground. The park features two Crown GreenBowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
bowling lawns, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
courts a community centre and BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
track.
Notable people
- Sir John Eardley WilmotJohn Eardley WilmotSir John Eardley Wilmot PC , was an English judge, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1766 to 1771.-Family and early life:...
(1709–1792), Chief Justice of the Common PleasChief Justice of the Common PleasThe Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord... - Henry RoyceHenry RoyceSir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, OBE was a pioneering car manufacturer, who with Charles Stewart Rolls founded the Rolls-Royce company.-Early life:...