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Before the Norman conquest in 1066 Stapleford comprised of four 'manors' held by Young Wulfsi, Staplewin, Goodwin and Gladwin. Sometime during the next twenty years, this land together with many others in the region was given to William Peverel (the Lord of Stapleford), and the Doomsday survey records that in 1086 these manors were held by Robert de Heriz under the authority of William Peverel. At this time, the survey also reveals that there were six villagers, two slaves, a priest and a church.

In the following years, the ownership of the 'estate' of Stapleford passed through a number families until around 1901 when the estate was split into building plots and sold. Up until this time, Stapleford was mainly a farming community.

At the end of the 18th century the East Midlands became the centre of the hosiery industry and the stocking manufacturers were served by a number of 'knitters' in Stapleford. They worked from home in knitters cottages and some still survive today and can be seen on Nottingham Road near the Sandicliffe Garages; characterised by their large windows on the top floor for maximum light entry into the knitting rooms.

By the end of the 19th century a number of lace manufacturers built factories in Stapleford. In the 20th century these were taken over by other industries such as Carr Fastener, Chambers Pencils and Johnson & Barnes.

During the late 19th and 20th century, many of the major architectural and historic buildings in Stapleford were demolished: for example, Stapleford Hall, The Manor House, Chambers Pencil Factory (originally Featherfields Lace Factory), the Methodist Chapel on Church Street, and the Co-op Department Store; a fate that many English cities and towns suffered at the hands of planners and developers.

The late 20th century saw much de-industrialisation. In late 1980's and early '90s Stapleford suffered like many British cities and towns due to the general poor economic climite within Britain together with both governmental and local policies that did little to help or encourage local shops, industry and small businesses. Along the high street there were many empty shops and offices and others were struggling to survive and all the major factories had closed.

Over recent years however, Stapleford has shown a definite turn-around and there are over 200 businesses listed in the Business Index on this web-site, and we are still adding more. If there are two main 'industries' in Stapleford today they are 'wheels and food', with the largest employer being Sandicliffe Garages. The local Town Council has gone out of its way to encourage and work with local shops and businesses. The Broxtowe Borough Council has put money into improving paving, shop fronts and some factory premises. There are now fewer empty shops and offices and the town no longer looks run down.

The local secondary school George Spencer School and Technology College has gained a reputation for achievement and has been designated "Leading Edge status'. Estate agents now cite it as a selling point for houses within its catchment area.

In 2006 the construction of a new £11m Health Centre, right in the centre of the town, was completed and there are plans to extend the Nottingham tram network to serve the Stapleford area. There are also plans to build a new Parkway Rail Station just down the M1, to serve East Midlands Airport and surrounding areas. These developments should give a major boost to business, employment and community facilities in the town.

Pictures courtesy of A. Nicholson www.nottshistory.org.uk
Sources of information: 1) A History of Stapleford, George Miller, Published by Notts County Council and Stapleford Town Council 2) Memories of Old Stapleford, Nigel Brooks and David Hooley, Wm J Butler & Co. Ltd. 3) A Collection of Views of Old Stapleford, Ralph Penniston Taylor, Sycamore Press Ltd.