Beeston, Nottingham
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Beeston () is a town in the
Borough of Broxtowe Broxtowe is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately west of the city of Nottingham, and most of the built-up areas of the ...
,
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, England, it is 3 miles south-west of
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
. To its north-east is the
University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...
's main campus, University Park. The headquarters of
pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
and retail chemist group
Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
are east of the centre of Beeston, on the border with Broxtowe and the City of Nottingham. To the south lie the
River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...
and the village of
Attenborough Attenborough may refer to: People * Attenborough (surname) Places * Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, a village and suburb in England ** Attenborough railway station ** Attenborough Nature Reserve Attenborough Nature Reserve is a nature reserv ...
, with extensive wetlands.


Toponymy

The earliest name of the settlement was ''Bestune'', recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name derives from the Old English words ''bēos'' (bent-grass) and ''tūn'' (farmstead, settlement). Although the idea that the name derives from the Old English ''bēo'' (bee) is popular locally, this is impossible as the plural form of ''bēo'' would be ''bēon'', resulting in an "n" to historical spellings of the name. The local pastures are still referred to in the name Beeston Rylands. The putative "bee" derivation encouraged the notion of Beeston as a "hive of industry". The bee was adopted as the
emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...
of the town council. Beehives appear carved in the brick of the town-hall exterior, and in 1959 three bees were included in the
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
adopted by
Beeston and Stapleford Beeston may refer to: People * Beeston (surname) Places in the United Kingdom * Beeston, Bedfordshire, a hamlet * Beeston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish **Beeston Castle ** Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station * Beeston, Le ...
Urban District Council. The
College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
included long grasses entwined with meadow crocuses in the arms as an alternative
canting arms Canting arms are heraldry, heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. The expression derives from the latin ''cantare'' (to sing). French heralds used the term (), ...
on the likelier origin as "farmstead where bent-grass grows." With the formation of Broxtowe District (later Borough) Council in 1974, the bees were retained on its coat of arms. The bee tradition continues – litter bins and other street furniture in the High Road are decorated in black and gold with a bee symbol on each. There is a sculpture in the High Road of a man sitting next to a beehive, popularly known as the "Bee-man", "the man of Beeston", etc., though officially called "The Beeston Seat." The sculptor was
Sioban Coppinger Sioban Coppinger (born 1955) is a Canadian-born English sculptor. She has created many sculptures by commission, which stand in locations in Britain. Life Coppinger was born in Canada, and studied at the Bath Academy of Art in England from 1974 ...
in 1987, modelling a friend, Stephen Hodges, for his "timeless ability to exude calm when all else are succumbing to stress."


History


Domesday

In Bestune at the time of the Conquest, the Saxons Alfag, Alwine, and UIchel held three manors, comprising three
carucate The carucate or carrucate ( or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms of tax assessment. ...
s of assessed land. Following the Norman victory, these were confiscated and granted to
William Peverel William Peverel (died 28 January 1114), Latinised to Gulielmus Piperellus), was a Norman knight granted lands in England following the Norman Conquest. Origins Little is known of the origin of the William Peverel the Elder. Of his immediat ...
, lord of
Nottingham Castle Nottingham Castle is a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion in Nottingham, England, built on the site of a Normans, Norman castle built starting in 1068, and added to extensively through the medieval period, when it was an important royal fortr ...
, who had in his
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
two plough teams, 17 bond tenants called
villeins A villein is a class of serf tied to the land under the feudal system. As part of the contract with the lord of the manor, they were expected to spend some of their time working on the lord's fields in return for land. Villeins existed under a ...
, unable to leave the estate without the lord's consent, each farming some of arable land, and one ordinary tenant or sochman. Together they had nine plough teams. There were of meadow. The annual yield of the estate was 30 shillings.


19th century

Beeston outgrew its village status as a silk weaving centre in the early 19th century. The first silk mill was burnt down (along with
Nottingham Castle Nottingham Castle is a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion in Nottingham, England, built on the site of a Normans, Norman castle built starting in 1068, and added to extensively through the medieval period, when it was an important royal fortr ...
) in the
Reform Bill The Reform Acts (or Reform Bills, before they were passed) are legislation enacted in the United Kingdom in the 19th and 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the U ...
riots of 1831. With the decline of the silk industry, many former mills gained light industrial uses in the early 20th century. Equipment made by the Beeston Boiler Company is still found all over the former
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. Between 1880 and the turn of the century,
Thomas Humber Thomas Humber (16 October 1841 – 24 November 1910) was an English engineer and cycle manufacturer who developed and patented a safety bicycle (1884) with a diamond-shaped frame and wheels of similar size. It became a pattern for subsequent ...
and partners made bicycles and eventually motor-cycles and cars at a factory at the junction of what are now Queens Road and Humber Road. At its height it employed 2000, although this ended abruptly in 1907 when the firm moved to Coventry. In 1882, the orphanage department of a Nottingham-based institution relocated to Beeston, occupying cottages on Imperial Road. By 1886, the facility had expanded to accommodate up to 48 children, with segregated cottages for boys and girls. The orphanage became a certified school in 1885, allowing it to receive children boarded out by Boards of Guardians. In 1943, it was authorised to operate as an Adoption Society and was renamed to Beeston Children's Homes.


20th century

In 1901, the
National Telephone Company The National Telephone Company (NTC) was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British telephone company, which from 1881 to 1911 consolidated smaller local companies in the early years of telephone adoption. The British government natio ...
built a factory in Beeston for telephone materials. This was taken over by the British L.M. Ericsson Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in 1903. Shortly before the transfer, most of the old factory was destroyed by fire and, in the rebuilding, it was extended. A new power station was built. In 1906, a large building was erected, chiefly devoted to cabinet work. Under the
Plessey The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas compani ...
name, these large premises continued as a major source of employment through the 1980s. Plessey became GPT, with GEC's involvement. With the various restructurings of the GEC group and its rebranding as Marconi, much of the site was sold to
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
along with the private telephone-network side of the business. Siemens sublet much of the site as a business park. SMS Electronics was formed from a
management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...
of the manufacturing facility of Siemens in 2003. It won the
Queens Award for Export The King's Awards for Enterprise, previously known as The Queen's Award for Enterprise, is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting oppor ...
in 2012 and employs over 200 people. The whole site was acquired by
HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...
in 2006 for a mixed-use employment-led redevelopment. In 2007, a building was constructed for
Atos Origin Atos SE is a European multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company with headquarters in Bezons suburb of Paris, France, and offices worldwide. It specialises in hi-tech transactional services, unified communicatio ...
. The Boots campus includes three listed modernist buildings designed by engineer Owen Williams (two Grade I, one Grade II), though they are difficult to see from outside. It also has a later Grade II* listed building by
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by engineer ...
.Beeston and District Civic Society
Listed buildings.
Motor manufacture returned to Beeston for a short period in 1987, when the Middlebridge Company set up a small factory in Lilac Grove and produced 77
Scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade of about 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific swor ...
cars. The firm went into liquidation in 1990. Beeston Maltings was in operation until the late 20th century. The buildings were in Dovecote Lane, opposite the Victoria Hotel, but were demolished in 2012–2013.


21st century

Proposals for a light rail (tram) line through Beeston as an extension to the
Nottingham Express Transit Nottingham Express Transit (NET) is a tram system in Nottingham, England. The concept of a modern tramway to reduce road congestion and promote urban renewal was formally identified during the late 1980s while detailed planning was undertake ...
system were approved by the government in 2009, due to traffic jams. There was some opposition to this by local traders and others along the proposed route, fearing business losses during the construction period. However, a survey in 2004 by Nottingham Express Transit showed strong general support for the scheme. The line opened on 25 August 2015. Monthly deposits of
bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – berry (botany), botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called pla ...
began appearing at intersections in the community in 2023 or 2024, perplexing residents.


Geography

Mid-20th-century suburban development extended the built-up area of Beeston to the former villages of
Chilwell Chilwell is a suburban area in the borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies on the west side of the town of Beeston and is south-west of the centre of Nottingham. History Roman buildings, pottery and coins have been found i ...
to the west and
Wollaton Wollaton is a suburb and former civil parish in the western part of Nottingham, in the Nottingham district, in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Wollaton has two wards in the City of Nottingham (''Wollaton East & Lenton Abbey'' ...
and Lenton Abbey to the north. Beeston is separated from
Bramcote Bramcote (, ) is a suburban village and former civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe, Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England, between Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, Stapleford and Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Beeston. It is in the parliame ...
to the north-west by the Beeston Fields Golf Course. The Broxtowe/City of Nottingham border essentially forms the town's eastern edge. The centre and shopping district lies to the north of the
railway line Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
. The mixed residential and industrial area of Beeston Rylands lies to the line's south.


Beeston Rylands

The Rylands was originally a small settlement around Beeston Lock, comprising some tens of houses and two pubs. The name now refers to all of the area south of the railway line. The ''Jolly Angler'' was originally on the river side of the canal, but has since moved. Beeston began to spread south of the railway line in the late 19th century, when a few Victorian villas were built near the level crossing by the station. Over the first few decades of the 20th century, several housing estates were built to accommodate workers at Ericssons and Boots, both of which had large factories south of the railway line. From 1934 to 1939 a significant development of 900 houses on an 57-acre (23 ha) estate, which was then called ''Cliftonside'', was designed by Alexander Wilson. These estates joined Beeston and the Rylands. Further development after the Second World War filled in the gaps, initially with an estate of council houses and flats, and latterly with private houses and bungalows. The last significant development, in 1970, was Meadow Farm: four roads of timber-framed semi-detached houses between Beech Avenue and the canal. Since then, Beeston Rylands has undergone a small amount of infill development. Beeston Rylands was historically at risk of flooding from the
River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...
to the south. This reduced property values and the size of houses built there, predominantly for the rental market. The last serious flood, in 1947, reached beyond the railway line: most of Queens Road was flooded, as was Nether Street. Enhanced flood defences have reduced the risk of flooding to a probability of once every fifty years. A series of flood-defence improvements, costing £51 million and designed to decrease the expected flood incidence to once in a hundred years, began in 2009 along a stretch of the Trent.


University of Nottingham

The eastern edge of Beeston abuts the
University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...
's main campus, through which runs Beeston Lane.


Wards

Beeston divides into four wards for local electoral purposes within the borough of Broxtowe: Beeston North, Beeston Central, Beeston Rylands and Beeston West.Boundary Commission
– Broxtowe
Beeston's town centre is largely within the West and Central wards. The North ward includes some residential estates north of the A52 (Derby Road), including a small part of the Wollaton urban area that falls within Broxtowe. To the west lies Bramcote Hills and the Bramcote ward. The original Beeston/Bramcote boundary is still marked on the A52. The Beeston Rylands ward has a larger area than the other three wards as it includes unpopulated
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
s of the River Trent and industrial areas, including the part of the Boots campus. The ward also extends north of the railway line to Queens Road and includes the former site of Nottingham Rugby Club. To the west of Beeston Rylands lies the
Attenborough Attenborough may refer to: People * Attenborough (surname) Places * Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, a village and suburb in England ** Attenborough railway station ** Attenborough Nature Reserve Attenborough Nature Reserve is a nature reserv ...
ward; while the Chilwell East ward lies to the west of Beeston West. A review of ward boundaries in 2000 brought changes to Beeston's western boundary. In the north-west, Beeston Cemetery and the residential streets surrounding it (to the south of Derby Road), such as Coniston Road and Windermere Road, as well as the ''Nuseryman'' pub and the eastern part of Beeston Fields Golf Course, were transferred to Bramcote ward. Beeston gained some territory from Chilwell in residential streets such as Park Road, Grove Avenue and Cumberland Avenue, and in Nottingham College and the industrial patch between Holly Lane and Wilmot Lane. The original boundary between the old Beeston and Chilwell parishes can still be identified by a road-name change on the site of the ''Hop Pole'' pub, from Chilwell Road on the Beeston side to High Road on the Chilwell side.


Elections

Beeston's four wards each return two councillors to Broxtowe Borough Council. For Nottinghamshire County Council the town is covered by two
electoral division An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...
s, each with a county councillor: Beeston North (North and West wards) and Beeston South & Attenborough (Central, Rylands and Attenborough wards). For elections to
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
the town is part of the Broxtowe constituency (though from 1974 to 1983, a Beeston constituency existed). The present Member of Parliament is Juliet Campbell of the Labour Party.


History of local government

Beeston is an
unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...
and has no town council, though it was a
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
until 1935. The parish area was reduced in 1933, with some lands in the east transferred to the City of Nottingham. Boundary posts were erected on the new Beeston-Nottingham boundary and many are still in place today, with "1933" marked on them. The present four wards cover the same post-1933 area of the old parish, save for the two recent alterations made to the western boundary described above. From 1935 until 1974 (when the borough of Broxtowe was formed) Beeston was paired with the town of Stapleford (2 km to the west) in the
Beeston and Stapleford Beeston may refer to: People * Beeston (surname) Places in the United Kingdom * Beeston, Bedfordshire, a hamlet * Beeston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish **Beeston Castle ** Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station * Beeston, Le ...
urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...
. Previously a Beeston Urban District existed, covering Beeston parish. The town was the administrative centre of Beeston and Stapleford Urban District Council, which was based at Beeston Town Hall, and is now the administrative centre for Broxtowe Borough Council, which has its head offices on Foster Avenue.


Geographic locale


Economy

Beeston is home to many national and international companies. Of the 470 companies based in Beeston, the largest are
Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
,
Changan Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
,
Imperial Tobacco Imperial Brands plc (originally the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain & Ireland, and subsequently Imperial Tobacco Group plc) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is ...
, ZF,
Atos Atos SE is a European multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company with headquarters in Bezons suburb of Paris, France, and offices worldwide. It specialises in hi-tech transactional services, unified communicat ...
and
Chinook Sciences Chinook Sciences is a US and UK based technology company that specializes in waste to energy and metal recovery. Patents Chinook Sciences holds many patents for its non-incineration " synthetic gas" technology, which is specifically designed ...
. Other local companies include metalworking lathe manufacturer Myford and the internet firm Webfusion (now part of
PIPEX Communications Daisy Group Holdings Limited, trading as Daisy Group or Daisy, is a British business-to-business (B2B) provider of IT, communications, and cloud services to UK organizations. Today, Daisy Group has two operational divisions: Daisy Corporate ...
).


Demography

Beeston has a population of 37,000 people, of whom 71.2% are classed as
White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the White population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population was 49 ...
and 28.8% as different ethnicities, with 10.3% Chinese, 10.25% European, 2.7% Indian, 2.11% Pakistani and 3.4% other. The average household size is 2.40 and the population density 49.40 per hectare. The age ranges are 16.3% 16 to 24, 20.9% 30 to 44, and 18.06% 45 to 59.


Transport


Railway

The
Midland Counties Railway The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, t ...
from
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
to
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
opened to passenger services on 4 June 1839, along with Beeston station. The route later became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...
company and then the
London Midland Region The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways (BR), and initially consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England, Wales and Northern Irelan ...
of
British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commis ...
. Today, the station is served by two
train operating companies In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...
: *
East Midlands Railway East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...
provide inter-city services between Nottingham and London St Pancras, via
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...
,
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
and
Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
; these services call hourly, with typical journey times of just under two hours to cover the distance to London. There are also hourly services between Newark Castle, Derby and
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...
; trains between Nottingham and Matlock also call hourly. *
CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, ...
provide hourly services in each direction between Nottingham,
Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street, also known as New Street station, is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti ...
and
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
.


Buses

Bus services in Beeston are provided by
Nottingham City Transport Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the major bus operator of the city of Nottingham, England. NCT operates extensively within Nottingham as well as beyond the city boundaries into Nottinghamshire county. Publicly owned, it is today the second ...
,
Trent Barton Trentbarton (stylised in all lowercase) is a bus operator providing both local and regional services in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the Wellglade Group. History In October 19 ...
, CT4N and Nottsbus Connect. Local routes connect the town with Nottingham city centre, University Park, Queens Medical Centre,
Chilwell Chilwell is a suburban area in the borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies on the west side of the town of Beeston and is south-west of the centre of Nottingham. History Roman buildings, pottery and coins have been found i ...
, Stapleford and
Wollaton Wollaton is a suburb and former civil parish in the western part of Nottingham, in the Nottingham district, in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Wollaton has two wards in the City of Nottingham (''Wollaton East & Lenton Abbey'' ...
. Longer routes reach Derby,
East Midlands Airport East Midlands Airport is an international airport in Castle Donington, England. The airport is situated between Loughborough (), Derby () and Nottingham (); Leicester is to the south and Lincoln, England, Lincoln northeast. It serves the maj ...
and
Coalville Coalville is a town in the district of North West Leicestershire in Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. In 2011, it had a population of 34,575. It lies on the A511 road, A511 between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junct ...
.


Trams

The city's second-generation tram system, operated by
Nottingham Express Transit Nottingham Express Transit (NET) is a tram system in Nottingham, England. The concept of a modern tramway to reduce road congestion and promote urban renewal was formally identified during the late 1980s while detailed planning was undertake ...
, reached Beeston in August 2015. Beeston transport interchange was built in the same year as a hub for bus and tram services. Regular services run on a route between
Toton Toton is a large suburban village in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It forms part of the built-up area of Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Beeston, which in turn forms part of the wider Nottingham Urban Area. The population of th ...
and
Hucknall Hucknall () is a market town in the Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England, north of Nottingham, southeast of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, from Mansfield and south of Sutton-in-Ashfield. Hucknall is on the west ba ...
, via Nottingham station.


Roads

The Nottingham-Derby road was turnpiked in 1758–1759 and tolls were removed in 1870. A branch of the Nottingham and
Ashby Ashby may refer to: People * Ashby (surname) * Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England * Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and public ...
Turnpike Road, usually called the Sawley branch, went through Beeston. In 1831, a four-horse daily coach to
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
was advertised. The present Nottingham–Derby
A52 road The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from a junction with the A53 road, A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derbyshire, Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, Stapleford, Notting ...
touches the north of the town; it connects the town centre with junction 25 of the
M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...
, which is away. There are municipal car parks in Beeston, owned by Broxtowe Borough Council.


Canals

The
Nottingham Canal The Nottingham Canal is a canal in the English counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. As built, it comprised a long main line between the River Trent just downstream of Trent Bridge in Nottingham and Langley Mill in Derbyshire. At the sam ...
, which runs from
Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test cricket, Test, One-day cricket, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nott ...
to
Langley Mill Langley Mill is a village in the civil parish of Aldercar and Langley Mill in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. History Originally named ''Long Lea'', the village of Langley Mill was a major employer throughout the mid 1900s w ...
, via Nottingham and Lenton, was authorised in 1790 and completed by 1802. It allowed goods traffic from the Erewash valley to bypass the
River Erewash The River Erewash is a river in England, a tributary of the River Trent that flows roughly southwards through Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, forming the boundary between the two counties for much of its length. It rises near Kirkby-in-Ashf ...
and
River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...
. In response, a Beeston Canal was promoted by the Trent Navigation Company in 1794. This stretched from Beeston Cut to Lenton, over a weir at Beeston Rylands. Originally there was a second lock at Beeston Cut for small vessels to enter the Trent below the weir, but this was abandoned in about 1940.


Cycles

The
National Cycle Route 6 Route Parts of the route are currently incomplete and some sections follow other routes. London to Milton Keynes The proposed route is to begin in central London, running from via Paddington railway station to the Grand Union Canal. The ...
(
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
Keswick) passes through Long Lane in Attenborough, then along the pavement of Queens Road and Lilac Grove, and past University Park; at the Queen's Medical Centre, it turns left towards Wollaton and Bulwell. A circular ''Big Track'' for cyclists and pedestrians follows towpaths along the Trent and Beeston Canal. The Erewash Valley trail passes along the western side of Beeston. Several other cycle routes are signposted.


Built environment

Beeston has a number of historic buildings, including a manor house and the parish church of
St John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
. The church dates from the 11th century, but was largely rebuilt in 1843 by Sir
George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
. Both are included in the West End
conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
, which covers several buildings, many historical or of character, along Dovecote Lane, Grange Avenue, West End, and Church Street. Included in the area is the historic Village Cross. An enclosure act was passed for the parish of Beeston, and in 1809 the Commissioners stated that the lands amounted to , to be made tithe free, and the ancient enclosed lands and homesteads liable to tithe was £687 2s 29d. They then proceeded to fix the width of the roads. The Nottingham and Derby turnpike road was fixed at . Wollaton Road, then called Cowgate, was . The enclosures altered the appearance of part of the parish from a moor growing poor grass to cultivated fields with hedges, and so increased the food supply. It relieved farmers of their duty to pay a tenth of their product in kind. Some lands on or near Bramcote Moor, but in Beeston parish, were enclosed in 1847, by provisional order of the Inclosure Commissioners. Before the general introduction of gas in the parish, there was a limited supply from the Mill to separate houses. The church was first lit with gas in 1857. A Public Lighting Act was adopted at a vestry meeting on 13 November 1862. Opposition to the street lamps was strong, and the effigy of an active promoter of it was carried on an ass round the village and hung on a lamp-post, and but for police interference would have been burned. In 1861 gas was supplied from Nottingham by the Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company and for street lamps in 1872. Beeston was connected to the mains water supply in 1876. Beeston Post Office was equipped to receive telegraphs in January 1871. Nottingham had benefitted from electric lighting from 1894. Beeston was relatively later, after the Board of Trade in 1914 issued a provisional order under the Electric Lighting Acts of 1882 and 1909, the Beeston and District Electric Lighting Order 1914, for the
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Company The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Company Limited provided electricity to consumers in the English midland counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Electricity was supplied by the company from 1904 until its abolition upon the n ...
to be authorised to supply Beeston Urban District with electricity for public and private purposes. The
crenellated A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
of the Anglo Scotian Mills remains on Wollaton Road. It became a listed building on 6 January 1976. It is a silk and lace factory warehouse dating from 1892. A rare survival is the G H Hurt & Son Shawl Factory, which is occasionally open to the public. Shawls are produced on knitting machines and hand-finished in much the same way as they have been for centuries. The factory contains examples of knitting frames from the 17th century. Lost industrial buildings include the rebuilt silk mill and the looming bulk of the Neville Works mill on the boundary with Chilwell (later occupied by the Myford lathe factory).


The Land Societies


St John's Grove Estate

After the enclosure of the land surrounding Beeston in 1809, the area of St John's Grove was allotted to the vicar of the parish church. In 1878 the land was acquired from the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title was Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorised to determine the distribution of revenues of the Ch ...
by the Beeston Land Society, a group of citizens, who divided it into 28 plots of between three-quarters and and laid out wide, straight streets. Most of the houses date from Edwardian and late Victorian times. The Land Society set conditions for developers. There were to be no public houses, and strict building lines would ensure that properties were set back a consistent distance from the road. The St John's Grove Estate is now a conservation area.


Imperial Park Estate

Shortly after 1878, the Imperial Park Land Society and its sister the Beeston Building Society were founded. They aimed to assist the development and financing of superior housing around what is now Imperial Road, north of Newton Street, adjacent to the St John's Grove development and bounded on the north by North Street. The early model was to have savings made by a group of subscribers and funds allocated by the drawing of lots, in turn for each of them to build a house.


Bellevue Park Estate

This initial success was repeated when, in 1881, a syndicate acquired land from George Fellows, of the banking family that had its home at Belle Vue, now Beeston Fields Golf Club. The Belle Vue Land Society was formed to develop this land using similar methods to Imperial Park. The development lay to the north as a continuation to Imperial Park. Denison Street formed its northern extreme and Montague Street defined its eastern limit.


Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove, historically was just outside Beeston parish and part of
Chilwell Chilwell is a suburban area in the borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies on the west side of the town of Beeston and is south-west of the centre of Nottingham. History Roman buildings, pottery and coins have been found i ...
, was promoted by the
Labourer's Friend Society The Labourer's Friend Society was a society founded by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830 for the improvement of working class conditions. This included the promotion of allotment of land to labourers for "cottage husbandry" that late ...
in the 1840s as plots for cottages with allotments for the labouring poor. The scheme failed and the area now consists mostly of Victorian and Edwardian houses laid out along the parallel Park Road and Grove Avenue and the two short cross streets Cedar Road and North Drive. The area retains a leafy character and the roads remain unkerbed. It has been a conservation area since 2008.


The Estates today

Some areas originally developed by the Land Societies have had original plots subdivided and more modern properties built. Many properties in the Imperial Park and Bellvue Estates have had their chimney stacks lowered, windows and doors replaced with PVC, hedged fronts changed to brick walls or fencing, and front gardens paved for parking.


Other development

A prominent Methodist Church was built by the architect W. J. Morley of Bradford in Chilwell Road in 1902. Its landmark spire became more visible after the demolition of several large mill buildings in the 1990s. The front of the building was floodlit at night. The Baptist Church in Dovecote Lane was built in 1898 by Charles Nelson Holloway, but demolished in 2015 and replaced by semi-detached housing.


Almshouses

The United Charities of Abel Collin moved from the centre of Nottingham to their current location in Derby Road, Beeston, in the 1950s.


Public art

See List of public art in Beeston


See also

* Beeston Brewery Company *
Broadgate House Broadgate House is a Grade II listed building in Beeston, Nottingham. History The house was built in the 1840s probably for Edward Joseph Lowe who moved to live there shortly after his marriage on 2 January 1849. The Beeston Observatory Lowe ...
* Chilwell Road Methodist Church * The Grange, Beeston * Queen's Road Methodist Church * War Memorial Cross, Beeston * Wollaton Road Methodist Church


Commerce

Beeston's main shopping area is along the High Road, much of which has been pedestrianised. There are some chain stores in Beeston and independent stores, including specialist
east Asian East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
and
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
food shops. There are takeaways and several restaurants, offering a selection of food including Chinese, Thai and Indian cuisine. Cafés are to be found around the main shopping centre; ''The Square'', the centre of Beeston, is a 1960s shopping development, most of which is pedestrianised. A £1.4-million environmental improvement scheme covered pavements and lighting for the non-pedestrianised eastern end of the High Road. Further east, Broadgate saw improvements with a new space at the top entrance to Broadgate Recreation Ground; the works were completed in late 2006. The shopping centre is traversed by Wollaton Road. An area south-east of the shopping centre made room for a
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
superstore, which opened 1 November 2010, rivalling the
Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...
store in the town centre and the
Lidl Lidl ( ) is a trademark, used by two Germany, German international discount supermarket, discount retailer chain store, chains that operates over 12,600 stores. The ''LD Stiftung'' operates the stores in Germany and the ''Lidl Stiftung & Co. K ...
store in Wollaton Road to the north of the town centre. Beeston Fire Station, on an adjacent plot, was closed and relocated to a new site on Hassocks Lane. Beeston town centre was redeveloped when the
Nottingham Express Transit Nottingham Express Transit (NET) is a tram system in Nottingham, England. The concept of a modern tramway to reduce road congestion and promote urban renewal was formally identified during the late 1980s while detailed planning was undertake ...
extension was built, including the construction of a large gym and a
Costa Coffee Costa Limited, trading as Costa Coffee, is a coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, England, that operates in the United Kingdom and 37 other countries. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa (co ...
shop. This redevelopment was undertaken by Henry Boot. Beeston Square is the centre of further redevelopment into the 2020s, with a £50-million scheme including connection to the NET Tram network, and a new Arc cinema with seating for 700 in an eight-screen complex, the first cinema since 1968. Contracts were fulfilled by Bowmer + Kirkland.


Pubs

Beeston is known for its various
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
s and has one of the highest concentrations of them in the United Kingdom, with 23 pubs (as of 2011) within the ''Beeston Crawl''. The ''Victoria Hotel'' is a Victorian railway hotel and pub next to the station. It received several awards, including ''Nottinghamshire Dining Pub of the Year'' by the Good Pub Guide 2002 and runner-up for
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
' ''Pub of the Year'' in 2000. The ''Victoria Hotel'' and the ''Malt Shovel'', in Union Street, both appear in the 2010 and 2011 editions of the
CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, which promotes real ale, real cider, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. History The organisation was founde ...
Good Beer Guide The ''Good Beer Guide'' is a book published annually by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), listing what it considers to be the best 4,500 real ale outlets (pubs, clubs, and off-licences) in the United Kingdom. Details The content of the ''Guid ...
. ''The Crown'', a listed building in Church Street in the West End conservation area, was awarded the Nottingham, then the Nottinghamshire and then the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
CAMRA '' Pub of the Year'' 2010 awards, which appeared in the 2011 edition of the Guide. There is a
Wetherspoon's J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a British pub company operating in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based ...
chain pub called ''The Last Post'' in the building of the old Royal Mail sorting office.J D Wetherspoon
The Last Post
In Factory Lane, in the south-east of the town, a small brewery called ''Reality'' began producing
real ale Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for ale that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous ca ...
in 2010, with a 2.5
barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden stave (wood), staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers ...
plant.


Royal Mail

At present, Beeston has two post offices. Until 2017, the main post office was in Chilwell Road (on a site that also originally housed the delivery office), but moved to share premises with the town's branch of WHSmith. There is another post office in the High Road towards Broadgate and a third in Central Avenue in the north of the town. A fourth post office in the Rylands part of town closed in January 2008. The
Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...
's main
sorting office A sorting office or processing and distribution center (P&DC; name used by the United States Postal Service (USPS)) is any location where postal operators bring mail after collection for sorting into batches for delivery to the addressee, whic ...
for the Nottingham area (the
NG postcode area The NG postcode area, also known as the Nottingham postcode area, is a group of 29 postcode districts in the East Midlands of England, within seven post towns. These cover southern and central Nottinghamshire (including Nottingham, Mansfield, Su ...
) stands on the eastern edge of Beeston at Padge Road, with the City of Nottingham boundary running round the building. It was built in 1995 and includes a new delivery office for local distribution of Beeston's mail.


Sport

Beeston is home to England Hockey Premier League team
Beeston Hockey Club Beeston Hockey Club is a field hockey club based in Beeston, England. The club was founded in 1907, and plays its home games at the Nottingham Hockey Centre in Nottingham. Beeston is nicknamed ''the Bees''. The men's 1st XI plays in the Men's ...
who play at Highfields Sports Club on University Boulevard. Until 2006, Beeston was home to Nottingham Rugby Club, which sold the land next to the railway line (now the Birkin Fields housing development) and moved to share the
Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...
pitch at the Notts County ground. Nottingham Casuals Rugby Club still plays on the rugby pitches at Weirfields near the canal. The two
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
s adjacent to the town are Beeston Fields and Chilwell Manor. A short distance to the north is Bramcote Hill Golf Club and to the north-east the golf course at
Wollaton Park Wollaton Park is a 500 acre park in Nottingham, England, which includes a deer park. It is centred on Wollaton Hall, a classic Elizabethan prodigy house which contains the Nottingham Natural History Museum, with the Nottingham Industrial Museu ...
. Beeston is home to several well-established football clubs, including Beeston Amateur Football Club (Beeston AFC), which has two men's Saturday sides that play in the Nottinghamshire Senior League and the Midland Amateur Alliance respectively, and Beeston Town FC, which plays its home games at Highfields and competes in Division One of the Long Eaton Sunday League. Beeston Athletics, formally Ericsson AC & Plessey AC, is now based at Chilwell Olympia and meets on Wednesday and Friday evenings and on Sunday morning. It also organises a five-mile race in May or June


Hydroelectric plant


Notable people

In alphabetical order: *
Richard Beckinsale Richard Arthur Beckinsale (6 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor. He played Lennie Godber in the BBC British sitcom, sitcom ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'' (along with its sequel series ''Going Straight'') and Alan Moore ...
(1947–1979), an actor known for roles in BBC sitcoms ''Porridge'' and ''Rising Damp'', grew up in Beeston, attending College House Junior School and Alderman White Secondary Modern School. *
Anne Briggs Anne Patricia Briggs (born 29 September 1944) is an English folk singer. Although she travelled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in Britain and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achie ...
(born 1944): folk singer * Neil Cossons (born 1939), former chairman of
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
, grew up in Beeston, attending Church Street School, where his father was headmaster. He worked for a time as a porter at Beeston railway station. * Bryn Elliott (1925–2019): professional footballer born in Beeston *
William Gidley Emmett William Gidley Emmett FRSE (21 August 1887 – 5 January 1985) was a British industrial chemist, educationalist and academic author. In education he spoke out against traditional examination methods and developed a series of non-standard tests t ...
(1887–1985): industrial chemist born in Beeston *
Robert William Felkin Robert William Felkin FRSE LRCSE LRCP (13 March 1853 – 28 December 1926) was a British medical missionary and explorer, a ceremonial magician, member of the S.R.I.A, member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a prolific author on Ugan ...
(1853–1926): medical missionary and explorer, ceremonial magician and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn * John Fellows (1881–1942): professional cricketer born in Beeston *
Albert Flewitt Albert William Flewitt (10 February 1872 – 1943) was an English footballer who played at inside-forward. Biography Flewitt was born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. He turned professional with Lincoln City in August 1893. He joined Everton in ...
(1872–1943): professional footballer born in Beeston * Ann-Marie Farren (Born 1971): former professional snooker player, and Women's World Champion born in Beeston. * Barry Foster (1931–2002): actor famous as the Dutch detective ''
Van der Valk ''Van der Valk'' is a British television crime drama series produced for the ITV network by Thames Television. It ran from 13 September 1972 to 19 February 1992, with the first three series produced between 1972 and 1977, and two more being c ...
'' * William Foster (1859–1944): county cricketer born in Beeston * Ernest Hayes (1898–1938): a three-time Military Medal winner in the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he died in Beeston. *
Alice Levine Alice Levine (born 8 July 1986) is an English radio and television presenter, writer, narrator and comedian. Early life and education Levine was born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. Levine studied English at the University of Leeds, where she me ...
(born 1986): broadcaster and model *
Edward Joseph Lowe Edward Joseph Lowe FRS FGS FRAS FLS (11 November 1825 – 10 March 1900) was a British botanist, meteorologist and astronomer, who published papers on a wide variety of subjects, including luminous meteors, sunspots, the zodiacal light, mete ...
(1825–1900): a botanist and meteorologist, he lived in Beeston for most of his working life. * Frederick Micklethwait (1817–1878): lawyer and cricketer born in Beeston * Frank Pegg (1902–1991): professional footballer born in Beeston. *
Paul Smith (fashion designer) Sir Paul Brierley Smith (born 5 July 1946) is an English luxury fashion designer. His reputation is founded on his designs for men's clothing, but his business has expanded into other areas as well. Smith was made a Royal Designer for Industr ...
(born 1946): fashion designer who attended Beeston Fields Primary School *
Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the num ...
(1942–2003): soul singer, who lived and died in Beeston. *
Baroness Stowell of Beeston Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...
(born 1967): a former
Leader of the House of Lords The leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The post is also the leader of the governing party in the House of Lords who acts ...
, she attended Chilwell Comprehensive School. *
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...
(1849–1921): a county cricketer, he was born and died in Beeston. * William "Bendigo" Thompson (1811–1880): bare-knuckle boxer *
Frederick Thornhill Frederick Thornhill (25 September 1846 – 23 July 1876) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1876. Thornhill was born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, the son of Richard Thornhill (1817-1896) and his wife Eliza ...
(1846–1876): county cricketer born in Beeston * W. F. Wallett (1806–1892): a 19th-century clown known as The Queen's Jester, he reportedly performed before
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
. * William West (–1598): lawyer and legal writer born in Beeston * Paul Wright (born 1973): racing cyclist born in Beeston *
Colin Hoult Colin Hoult (born 15 May 1979) is an English actor and writer in television, radio, and theatre. He studied at Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre. Career Hoult has worked in various television productions, including '' Russell Howard's ...
Born 1979 (Actor/Comedian): Being Human, Dr Who, Afterlife and Ghosts


See also

*
Beeston bananas The Beeston bananas are a plate of peeled bananas that appeared on a street corner in Beeston, Nottinghamshire every month for over a year, . Until March 2025, the plate appeared at the junction of Abbey Road and Wensor Avenue, opposite a chu ...
* Listed buildings in Beeston, Nottinghamshire


References


External links


Exploring the history of BeestonBeeston and District Civic Society
{{authority control Towns in Nottinghamshire Market towns in Nottinghamshire Places in the Borough of Broxtowe Former civil parishes in Nottinghamshire Unparished areas in Nottinghamshire