The Leen Valley is the wide valley formed by the River Leen

River Leen

The River Leen rises in the Robin Hood Hills just outside Kirkby-in-Ashfield. It then flows through the grounds of Newstead Abbey, skirts Hucknall, goes through Papplewick and on through Bestwood Country Park, and following the route of the Leen Valley into suburban and urban Nottingham, passing...

 within the county of Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...

.

The Leen Valley was once an important centre for hosiery

Hosiery

Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...

 and coal mining

Coal mining

The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

 industries. Today, although light manufacturing continues, the valley is increasingly becoming part of the commuter belt for Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

. Settlements within the valley include Annesley

Annesley

Annesley is a village and civil parish in the District of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England, located between Hucknall and Kirkby-in-Ashfield. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,096. Nearby to the west is Annesley Woodhouse...

, Newstead

Newstead, Nottinghamshire

Newstead is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, situated between Nottingham and Mansfield in the Borough of Gedling. It is a former coal mining village, and was previously called Newstead Colliery Village. Lord Byron, the poet, lived at nearby Newstead Abbey. The parish...

, Papplewick

Papplewick

The parish of Papplewick is situated towards the west of central Nottinghamshire, to the north of the town of Hucknall. It has an area of 7.15 km². The village of Papplewick is located in the west of the parish. It is 7.5 miles north of Nottingham and 6 miles south of Mansfield...

, Linby

Linby

Linby is a small village in Nottinghamshire, the nearest town is Hucknall.The village grew up around the mills on the River Leen, from which Linby's name is derived. Small streams known as Linby Docks run on both sides of the main street....

, Hucknall

Hucknall

Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...

, Bulwell

Bulwell

Bulwell is an English market town approximately northwest of Nottingham city centre, on the northern edge of the city. The United Kingdom Census 2001 showed there were almost 30,000 people living in the Bulwell area, accounting for over 10% of the population of the city of Nottingham.-Early...

, Sherwood

Sherwood, Nottingham

Sherwood is a largely residential area in the north east of Nottingham, England. It is approximately 1.5 miles North of Nottingham City Centre...

, Basford

Basford, Nottingham

Basford is a suburb in northern Nottingham. Basford parish was absorbed into Nottingham in 1877. It gave its name to the Basford Rural District which existed from 1894 to 1974....

, Lenton

Lenton, Nottingham

Lenton is an area of the City of Nottingham in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. Politically, it falls within the Nottingham South constituency. Most of the area lies within the electoral ward of "Dunkirk and Lenton", however the "Lenton Triangle" area, considered by most residents to be part...

 and Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

. Leen Valley is also the name of one of the Council wards

Wards of the United Kingdom

A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...

, which lies within Nottingham, and a housing estate in the north of Nottingham, which is located in a valley created by the Leen within the larger Leen Valley area.