Norton Barracks 1987
The Worcestershire Regiment can trace its origins back to 1694 when Colonel Thomas
Farrington, of the Coldstream Guards, raised a new regiment in London. It was then
the custom for Regiments to be named after their Colonels, and this new Regiment
was named Farrington’s Regiment of Foot.
As regiments were re-named with each Colonel, it was possible for more than one Colonel,
and therefore more than one regiment, to have the same name. To resolve this endless
confusion regiments were given numbers from 1751, and the Regiment was numbered 29.
The Worcester Norton Shooting Club was formed in 1983 on part of the 60-acre site
of the original barracks of the historic and distinguished Worcestershire Regiment.
The last of the Royal Signals withdrew from the site in 1972, which had also seen
occupation by other regiments including The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, The Enniskillen's
and the Lancashire Regiment; all have which have subsequently been amalgamated into
new regiments of the British Army.
Some 15 acres of the site were purchased from the Ministry of Defence. The Sports
Council putting forward the funding subject to its exclusive use as a Sporting Facility.
Currently catering for Cricket - Croquet - Hockey - Football and Target Shooting
amongst others.
The name Norton Camp can be traced back to 1749 when it is a documented area of training
and shooting practise for members of several local militias. The photograph at the
top of this page shows Militia Officers and Men at Norton Camp in 1877. The site
is listed by Sport England as "a site of Historical Interest; its shooting connections
having some of the longest documented use of any in the country”
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