The Saxon village of Beeston, meaning settlement on Rye, was first settled due to the abundance of wild rye grass growing here along the edge of the River Trent. After passing through in 1068 William the conqueror granted 66 manors in this area including Beeston to his stepson William Peverill who governed them from his new castle in Nottingham.
Although the current building on Church Street dates from 1843 records of a church on this site go back to 1171 and a number of medieval remains can be seen here including the 13th-century font and the base of the 14th century market cross. The 1563 West End House on West End is the oldest surviving building in town, originally a farmhouse it has been a school and is now a private residence once again. The current Manor House on Middle Street dates from 1650 but Greasley farmer Nicholas Strey built the original in 1560. The curiously named Old Manor House also on West End is newer (1680) and never served as a manor house. No 19 Dovecote Lane on the corner of Manor Lane dates from 1790 and served for many years as The Goat Inn. The lock keeper in the nearby 1790 cottage would summon help from the Inn at times of trouble by firing his blunderbuss. The end of the 18th century saw a decline in Beeston’s fortunes as the traditional hosiery trade of the area went into decline but things would change with the dawning of the 19th century.
In the 19th-century Beeston was revitalised with the construction of the first lace mill here on Middle Street by Henry Kirkland in 1819, the building, now empty, still stands. Other mills quickly followed including the 1826 Silk Mill on High Street, the 1886 Swiss Mills that burnt down in 1984 but the factory bell can still be seen outside of Sainsbury’s and the 1893 Anglo-Scotian Mills on Wollaton Road with its curious Victorian Gothic façade based on Thrumpton Hall. The population grew and the town prospered Mill owner F.B. Gill built the Georgian style Grange on Chillwell Road, the Crown Inn on Church Street, was opened to brew the church ale and later served as a coach house, and the St John the Baptist Church on Church Street was rebuilt by Sir John Gilbert Scott in 1843 with its magnificent square tower dominating the town. In the grounds stands the curious Crimean War memorial that seems to commemorate the fighting men of Beeston’s heroic battle against diarrhea.
Beeston is now a thriving town of 22,000 that owes much of its current prosperity to local lad Jesse Boot whose 1933 factory, designed by Sir Owen Williams, on the edge of town is the heart of the Boots Pharmaceuticals empire.