Making the Past Available to the Present -

Beeston in Nottinghamshire, is conveniently located some four miles to the west of the centre of the City of Nottingham. Today, it is favoured as a desirable residential location and shopping centre, supported by a strong commercial and industrial base but it has an interesting history, which has its village origins in pre-Saxon times, for those who take a little time to explore it.

As our heading picture shows, Beeston was a much more leisurely place a hundred years ago than it is today. Ladies in long dresses stroll leisurely along the High Road, in the distance a brewer's dray will shortly be making a delivery, while a few old-timers and tradesmen watch as the photographer records the everyday scene for posterity. Not all the street-scene is unfamiliar to us - the arcade of shops on the left is still a feature today - but the tree that was then such a feature at the top of Acacia Walk on the right is sadly no longer to be seen.

These pages are dedicated to helping you discover something of Beeston's past and will grow over time to become a focus for its local history - whether you are looking for a quick overview or for an in-depth exploration of the area's history.

There are many around the world who have ancestors who, over the years, have left the Beeston area for a new life elsewhere. They, as well as those who remain are often keen to discover their family links to the area. Our pages, therefore, have a strong family history content backed by a wealth of unique resources which are available to us and we are confident that this will continue to be the place to discover your Beeston area ancestors.

Whatever your interest, we suggest you start by clicking on the Topics Menu and viewing the Historical Overview before moving on to more specific topics. We believe that you will find much of interest. And, don't forget to come back - the content of the site is growing all the time. Click Latest at any time to see what's been added.

To find out current information about Beeston as it is today, we suggest that you visit beeston.biz - a Beeston Community Website which encourages greater communication and interaction between local people and businesses.