The Normanton Barracks Hauntings

(Written by Milly Wong)

The site of the Old Normanton Barracks on the corner of Osmaston Park Road and Sinfin Lane that was once home to the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters Regiment, is probably more commonly known to Derby's younger residents as the birthplace of Derby's first multiplex cinema and drive-through restaurant.

The Sherwood Foresters vacated the barracks in 1964 and the buildings were demolished in 1982. The area grew into derelict woodland where for some period during the 1980s, local residents walked their dogs and teenagers raced their trial bikes.

Having grown up in the area, I remember my father occasionally taking me to the derelict ground to walk our own dogs, years prior to the cinema being built. As my grandfather was a veteran Sherwood Forester, my dad would inform me about which areas of the wasteland had served what purpose. He even knew where the kitchens used to stand.

I remember the area always having a lonely and unloved feeling, consisting of broken down walls and overgrown wooded areas, but there is one memory in particular that I have never been able to forget.

It was a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon - not a cloud in the sky - the ideal weather for taking a walk with the dogs. We usually walked them at the local park at the bottom end of Browning Street but Dad thought it would be nice to take them to the Barracks. We entered the wasteland around the area where the bowling alley now stands and waded through the undergrowth as the dogs belted off on their adventure.

As we made our way towards the area where Gala Bingo now stands, we noticed that the dogs had run into a clearing in the woods. I suddenly felt cold and uneasy as we drew closer to the clearing and noticed that the dogs had stopped dead in their tracks. As we drew even closer it became apparent that they could see something that was not humanly visible.

They were whimpering uncharacteristically and jumping around in a frenzied state. As we walked over to them uneasily, I felt an icy cold sensation run through my body. I looked up nervously at my dad asked him, 'Did you feel that?'

He looked at me but didn't utter a word. We fought to get the dogs back on their leads and left the area as quickly as possible. I never went back there, until the retail park had been built, but even now, whenever I walk through the area, I can't help wondering what it was that was there that day that frightened our beloved pets so much.

Since the retail park has been in operation, I have heard many stories from friends and relatives that have worked in the various establishments on the site. Workers from the Showcase Cinema, Gala Bingo Hall, KFC, The Oast House and the bowling alley had all reported feelings of being watched when they were actually alone as well as experiencing sudden icy cold sensations. Some have even reported seeing men in what looked like 2nd World War soldiers uniforms. Could these be the unsettled sprits of brave young men that didn't return home from battle?

Even more disturbingly, since creating the DerbyGhosts website, I have received two almost identical reports of a faceless spectre floating in a hooded cloak that was witnessed on the site after demolition and prior to the retail park being erected. The description of the black cloak leads me to believe that this eerie encounter could be connected to the plague burials of Sinfin Moor, which is situated just less than half a mile away from the site.

Part of the Barracks still stand in the form of an old wall running along the side of the Oast House on Sinfin Lane (as shown in the picture above).

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The Oast House - Standing on the former Normanton Barracks on the corner of Osmaston Park Road and Sinfin Lane.

Showcase Cinemas - Standing on the former Normanton Barracks on Osmaston Road.

Normanton Barracks - looking down Sinfin Lane, where the only remains of the Barracks still stands in the form of a wall.