Broadgate welcome

Just found out that Judy Sleath, the Chair of Beeston & District Society, has pulled off the near impossible with help from Simon at Pixels & Graphics on Chilwell Road and Steph at Beeston BID. 

At 10pm last night  (Thursday) Judy asked me if I could do a 'student' version of my Beeston Pubs & Cafes Map for first thing this morning so that they could be printed today (Friday) and distributed tomorrow (Saturday). Just heard that 3,000 have been printed and will go to students in the Broadgate flats.

A White Lion regular.

Hopefully, a few of you living in Broadgate will find your way to this old fart's blog. If you are one of them, welcome. I hope you enjoy your time at university and living in Broadgate, which is on the wrong side of Tottlebrook to be in Beeston (and the Borough of Broxtowe). It is actually in Lenton (and the City of Nottingham), but even old Lentonians like me have always accepted that Broadgate and Lenton Abbey look to Beeston when it comes to shopping and going to the pub.

D'Oliva's a great place for lunch.

Beeston is a remarkable place by any measure. My wife Susan first came to Chilwell and Beeston as a history & archaeology student in 1969 and lodged in Chilwell vicarage for two years before spending her final year in Florrie Boot Hall.

I met Susan in Birmingham when I was a very young Birmingham city councillor and she was a very young museum curator. It was love at second sight and we were setting up home together a fortnight later and I have been an incurable romantic ever since (!).

Table 8 on Wollaton Road another lunchtime haunt.

For two years Susan walked to and from the University through Beeston to her digs in Chilwell vicarage. Work took her (and me) to Mansfield, then in 1975 we found our way to Lenton because, by then, I was a national officer for a well known charity and wanted to be near a mainline railway station.

It was not until 1996 that we started to come to Beeston every week, so when we finally decided to downsize from Lenton in 2013, it was going to be either Chilwell or Beeston. in the end, being within a few minutes walk of Beeston shops won out over being close to the tram.

The new home in town for coffee lovers who like variety.

The Broadgate flats, in terms of location, have to be close to the best in Nottingham - as I hope my pocket map demonstrates. You are less then five minutes away from some of the best pubs and cafés you will ever visit. One thing is for sure, you will remember these times.

Right now, if you have got this far, welcome to Beeston, I wish you well. See you about.

Robert Howard, beestonweek blogger.