Broxtowe

Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England

Broxtowe, borough (district), administrative and historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. The borough lies to the west of the city of Nottingham and is bounded on the west by the River Erewash and on the south by the River Trent. Broxtowe comprises four principal towns, each of which has a distinctive character: Beeston, Stapleford, Kimberley, and Eastwood. Beeston (which together with Stapleton is designated as a built-up area for census purposes) is the administrative centre. Smaller communities in Broxtowe include Attenborough, Awsworth, Bramcote, Brinsley, Chilwell, Cossall, Greasley, Nuthall, Strelley, Toton and Trowell.

Nearly two-thirds of the borough is open countryside. Attenborough Nature Centre and Reserve, near Beeston in the far south of the borough, offers opportunities for walking and bird-watching. Housing types in Broxtowe range from 19th-century terrace cottages to modern buildings. The invention of the stocking frame (a knitting machine attributed to William Lee) was pivotal to industrial development in the southern part of borough, where lace making and the hosiery trade once dominated the local economy. The construction of the Erewash Canal contributed to the growth of the once important coal-mining industry in northern Broxtowe.

By the early 21st century the borough’s economy had diversified to include prominent industrial, commercial, and service sectors. Author D.H. Lawrence was born in Eastwood, where the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum offers insights into the working-class roots important to his writing. Area 31 square miles (81 square km). Pop. (2001) 107,570; (2011) 109,487.