Sitting about three miles southwest of Derby city centre, Sinfin occupies the southern outskirts of the city in Derbyshire. The ward, which covers both Sinfin and the neighbouring area of Osmaston, recorded a population of 15,128 in the 2011 Census – a rise of nearly 10% on the 2001 figure of 13,782. To the south, Sinfin merges with the Stenson Fields district of South Derbyshire, while the Derby-Crewe railway line forms a boundary to the north of the older part of the suburb.
History and Origins
Sinfin’s history stretches back to the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Sedenfeld, a manor held by baron Henry de Ferrers, assessed at two carucates of land, six acres of meadow, and valued at ten shillings. The undertenant, later known as William de Rolleston, displaced a Saxon thegn named Ulfkell. The Ferrers name is still visible in Sinfin today. Historically, Sinfin and Osmaston were separate villages before Derby’s outward expansion absorbed them both. Osmaston is largely characterised by inter-war housing, whereas much of Sinfin’s housing is post-war. Between the two suburbs lies an industrialised corridor dominated by the Rolls-Royce works. At the start of the Second World War, a substantial ordnance depot was constructed in the older northern part of Sinfin, protected by pillboxes, gun emplacements, and barrage balloons. Much of this has since been built over, though some evidence remains. The area once had its own passenger railway station, Sinfin Central, which last received passenger trains in May 1993.
Green Space, Education, and Community
On the southern edge of Sinfin lies the Sinfin Moor Local Nature Reserve, covering 24 hectares (60 acres). Secondary education is provided by City of Derby Academy, with several primary schools in the area including Redwood Primary School, Ash Croft Primary Academy, Grampian Primary School, and Stenson Fields Primary School. Places of worship include St Stephen’s Parish Church, a Roman Catholic church, and Sinfin Moor Church, built in 1970 as a Local Ecumenical Partnership where Methodists, Anglicans, and members of the United Reformed Church worship together. Sinfin is one of seventeen electoral wards in Derby, returning three councillors to Derby City Council, and forms part of the Derby South parliamentary constituency. The suburb is perhaps also remembered as the birthplace of Ted Moult, the television personality popular during the 1950s and 1960s.