The place-name is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears, unusually, spelt as now, and in the Pipe Rolls of 1194. The name means "ford marked by a post or posts". Stapleford's origins can be traced to before the Norman Conquest. In the churchyard of St Helen's church is the Stone Cross which is Saxon and believed to be the oldest Christian monument in the Midlands. Stapleford owed its development in part to its closeness to the River Trent and the River Erewash as the town became a central point for trade. The antiquary John Weever defined a staple town "to be a place, to which by the prince's authority and privilege wool, hides of beasts, wine, corn or grain, and other exotic or foreign merchandize are transferred, carried or conveyed to be sold." The area also expanded in the late 18th century when the stocking hose trade thrived in the Midlands. Evidence of this history can be found today with the original Stocking Knitters' Houses still standing alongside more modern properties and shops such as on Nottingham Road. The main crossroads in Stapleford at the junction of Nottingham Road, Derby Road, Toton Lane and Church Street is called The Roach. The name is from the time when French prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars were set the task of cutting through rock to create roads and this was referred to as La Roche. Stapleford is also home to the Hemlock Stone on Stapleford Hill. It is approximately 200 million years old, dating to the Triassic Period. In 2006, a new NHS Health Centre and Walk-In Centre opened in the town, but has since closed and has been succeeded by a large multi use healthcare centre with a mental health unit and cafe on site. Sainsbury's local was opened on the site of the former Total petrol station in 2007. Stapleford is the home of the Full Mash microbrewery.
Nickname
The town is often referred to informally as "Stabbo".
Sir John Borlase Warren, an 18th-century MP for Nottingham and an admiral, lived in Stapleford. The now closed Happy Man and Warren Arms pubs were named after him and his family. A large Wetherspoons named after him is located in the town centre.
John Radford, wine and food writer, author and broadcaster, grew up in Stapleford from 1949–1965
Sir Robert Salisbury, renowned educationalist, professor and author
Schools and colleges
Primary schools
Albany Infant and Nursery School
Albany Junior School
Fairfield Primary Academy
Wadsworth Fields Primary School
St John's C of E Primary School
William Lilley Infant and Nursery School
Secondary schools
George Spencer Academy
Colleges
George Spencer Sixth Form
Transport
Road transport is the primary method of transport in and out of the area. East Midlands Airport is approximately 16 kilometres away, the airport provides domestic and international routes, focused mainly on EU/EEA/Swiss routes.
Bus
Bus services operate to Nottingham, Derby, Beeston, Ilkeston and other local towns.
Stapleford is connected to Nottingham, Derby and the M1 motorway by the A52.
Railway
The closest railway station is Beeston providing direct services to Nottingham, Derby, London, Lincoln, Bedford, Burton upon Trent, Leicester, Loughborough, Tamworth, Newark, Luton, East Midlands Parkway, Birmingham and Matlock.
Light Rail
In August 2015, a Light Rail line was opened towards Stapleford via Beeston and Chilwell as part of the Nottingham Express Transit system. A park and ride station, called Toton Lane Park & Ride has been built about 1 mile south of Stapleford town centre, and adjacent to some residential areas of the town. It is on Toton Lane, just south of the A52 roundabout, and is the terminus of line 1 of the Phase 2 expansion. There are no plans for extension into the centre of Stapleford.
