Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kimberley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England, lying 6 miles north-west of Nottingham along the A610. The town grew as a centre for coal mining, brewing and hosiery manufacturing. The town includes the neighbouring villages of Giltbrook, Greasley and Swingate and the ward is known as Cossall and Kimberley.

History Kimberley is referred to as Chinemarelie in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book. With the accession of William to the throne Kimberley came into the possession of William de Peveril. The Peverils lost control when they supported the losing side in the civil war which preceded the accession of Henry II of England in 1154. The King became the owner of the land. King John of England granted land in the area to Ralph de Greasley in 1212 who took up residence at Greasley Castle and also at around this time to Henry de Grey whose son re-built Codnor Castle on the site of an earlier castle established by William Peveril.

Ralph de Greasley's land passed by inheritance and marriage to Nicholas de Cantelupe who took part in Edward III of England's Scottish campaigns and also the Battle of Crécy. Nicholas founded Beauvale Priory using part of his Kimberley holding in 1343. That part of Kimberley which had become the property of Beauvale Priory was claimed by King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.

The Priory's land was redistributed by the King and came into the possession of Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham again by inheritance and marriage in 1627. Arthur was beheaded in 1649 having fought for the Royalists in the English Civil War. Arthur's son was created Earl of Essex in 1661.

In 1753 the land was purchased by Sir Matthew Lamb whose grandson William Lamb became Prime Minister in 1834. The Lamb's Kimberley estates passed by marriage to the 5th Earl Cowper in 1805 and on the death of the 7th Earl in 1913 were sold off in pieces.

That part of Kimberley retained by the Cantelupe's passed by inheritance and marriage to John Lord Zouch who died at the Battle of Bosworth with Richard III in 1485. He was posthumously found guilty of high treason with his property forfeited to Henry VII. John Savage (-1491) received this part of Kimberley in gratitude for his efforts on behalf of Henry VII at Bosworth. The Savage family sold this land to the Earl of Rutland in the early 17th century. The Duke of Rutland's Kimberley estates were sold in parcels in the early 19th century.

Economy: Industry Kimberley has been home to a lot of industry including: coal mining, brewing and hosiery manufacturing.

All major industry in Kimberley has stopped, the last being Kimberley Brewery which ceased brewing in December 2006. Most businesses are now retail-based concerns.

Kimberley today One of Kimberley's most notable structures is its unusual war memorial, in the form of a rotunda which is used as the emblem of Kimberley School. This secondary school has a catchment area which extends into the neighbouring areas of Nuthall, Eastwood, Watnall, and Hempshill Vale.

On the South side of Kimberley lies Swingate, which has many different walking and cycling routes into the woods and surrounding countryside.

The twin towns of Kimberley are Échirolles in France and Grugliasco in Italy.

Kimberley Brewery was taken over by Greene King in 2006, another major brewer in a multimillion-pound deal which marked the end of the traditional Kimberley Ales as ale brewing ceased shortly afterwards and only a distribution centre remained there.

The former Kimberley Brewery site has within its boundaries a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is listed under the title of "Kimberley Railway Cutting" as an important location for Permian Gymnosperm fossils. The Permian - Carboniferous unconformity can be found in the Kimberley Railway Cutting.

Since 1974, Kimberley forms part of the borough of Broxtowe. From 1894 to 1974 it was part of Basford Rural District Council area.

There has been speculation that the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) want to extend their tram line that currently terminates at Phoenix Park stop through Kimberley towards Giltbrook Retail Park.

Sport • Kimberley Town F.C. were the main local football team until they folded in 2012. • Kimberley Miners Welfare F.C. • Kimberley Institute Cricket Club is the town's cricket team. • Awsworth - Kimberley & District Rifle Club • Kimberley & District Striders Running Club.

Kimberley Brewery The Kimberley Brewery, also known as Hardy & Hanson's Brewery or Hardys & Hansons, was the oldest independent brewery in the English county of Nottinghamshire, and has a heritage dating from 1832. It was originally two adjoining but independent breweries, Hardy's Brewery and Hanson's Brewery, which merged in 1930. The brewery ceased brewing in December 2006.

Samuel Robinson opened the first commercial brewery in Kimberley in 1832. It was located in a rented bake-house using water from the Alley Spring in what is now called Hardy Street. Stephen Hanson meanwhile built his brewery on nearby Brewery Street in 1847, also using water from the Alley Spring.

William & Thomas Hardy were successful beer merchants from Heanor who bought Samuel Robinson's brewery in 1857. In 1861 they moved out of the old bake-house and constructed a new brewery that formed the core of the brewery until it closed. Also in 1861, Stephen Hanson died and the business was carried on by his wife Mary and son Robert Hanson.

Both breweries began proceeded to buy pubs throughout the area to supply with their own ales. However their increased production meant they started to run short of water. This was resolved by an agreement to share the water from the local Holly Well spring.

Both breweries thrived independently until 1930, when under increasing pressure from larger brewing companies and lack of male successors to the Hardy's Brewery, the two companies combined.

In 2006, The Hardys & Hansons Kimberley Brewery and all of its public houses were sold in a multi-million-pound deal to Greene King brewery. The surviving brands are now brewed in Bury St Edmunds.

The site is currently being developed into housing by Fairgrove Homes. The distribution centre (circa 1980s), located to the rear of the courtyard, has been demolished along with a red brick loading bay. The grain tanks to the side of the brewery have also been taken down and all concrete surfaces or roads to the rear of the site have been demolished. The black bridge as seen on the second photo down will remain along with the tower, brew house, malt kilns and storage warehouse.