Page 23 - HeritageEbooklet

Osmaston Park

Osmaston Park is the one section of the former estate of Osmaston Hall
that remains undeveloped to this day. The partially wooded area, which is
situated alongside Osmaston Park Road, was preserved as a public park and
opened on 8 June 1922. The park offered facilities such as bowling greens
and tennis courts, flower beds, a café and a sand pit. In 1925 a municipal
sports ground was opened next to the park (the site later became the
Moorways Sports Centre).

The park provided a green open space for the community to enjoy. It was
especially popular with children from the area, because it offered swings and
slides and plenty of room to play. Another much-loved feature of the park
was ‘The Hollows’ (also known as ‘The Crater’ or ‘The Dump’). This huge
oval-shaped hole was located in the central wooded area of the park. Its
steep sides were ideal for children to slide down on a dustbin lid or piece of
wood. What caused this hole in the ground is a mystery. It was filled in long
ago but those who played in it still have fond memories of ‘The Hollows’.

Below left: An aerial view of Osmaston Park taken in 1978, with Osmaston Park
Road on the left and the sports track at Moorways Sports Centre clearly visible.

“I visited Osmaston Park often
and the area we called ‘The
Photo: Derby Evening T elegraph and picturethepast.org.uk one side having an extremely
Hollows’ was always a favourite.
It was a huge excavation, with

steep incline, perfect for sledging.
In the bottom lay what seemed
to us to be gigantic tree roots,
which made superb dens
or defensive positions. ‘The
Hollows’ was a natural adventure
playground!”

23 Mick Whitehead – Osmaston resident