The first known documentary record appears in the Domesday Book (1086) as 'Til-chestune'; the modern form of the name evolved in government and church records over the following 200 years.

Until the second half of the 18th century, Ilkeston was a relatively small, agricultural settlement. In 1252 the Lord of the Manor of 'Elkesdon' was awarded a charter, permitting a weekly market and an annual fair. The fair was originally held in August, but later evolved into a 'statutes' or hiring fair in October. From the mid-19th century onwards, the entertainment aspect took over, leading to the popular annual event which continues to this day.

Ilkeston's later growth was based upon two major industries. The first of these was hosiery. The cheapness of labour in the East Midlands helped encourage the development of stocking frame and lace industry; first as a cottage industry and later based in workshops and factories. By 1850 Ilkeston had five hosiery and six lace 'manufactories' in operation. This included the town's first large factory, Francis Ball's Albion Works of c.1845 which survives to this day in the same family ownership.

Ilkeston's other major industry was mining. The exploitation of the surface outcrops of coal in the Ilkeston area has been carried out for centuries. This expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries to meet the needs of increasing industrialisation and population growth. The export of coal from the Erewash Valley mines required new transport links, including the Nottingham turnpike road and the Nutbrook, Erewash and Derby-Sandiacre canals. This gave access to the major trade routes down the River Trent and, from the early 19th century, to London and the south via the Grand Union Canal. The opening of the Erewash Valley Railway in 1847 gave Ilkeston a further transport link with the outside world, followed more recently by the M1 motorway.

A legacy of the railway is the impressive 1400 feet long Bennerley Viaduct which is one of only two of its kind in Britain. Built in 1877 of wrought iron to carry a twin track across the Erewash Valley for the Great Northern Railway, it was closed to all traffic in 1973 and is now a Grade II listed building.

The Ilkeston area's other major natural resource is iron ore. The Stanton Ironworks was established around 1845. This, and other iron furnaces built later at West Hallam, Bennerley and Gallows Inn, provided a growing source of employment.

By the end of the 19th century, local collieries and ironworks provided employment for the vast majority of the local male workforce, with the factory-based textile industry a major employer of female labour. This relatively wide diversification of employment helped to offset some of the worst effects of the decline of coal mining that have proved so devastating elsewhere in the region. Industrialisation was accompanied by a rapid growth in the town's population; from under 2,500 in 1801 to over 25,000 by 1901 and over 30,000 by 1911 - around which level it has remained to this day.

The town developed a progressive approach to the management of its affairs and in 1864 adopted the Local Government Act and set up a Local Government Board for Ilkeston which built a Town Hall in 1866 to an Italian style designed by R.C. Sutton of Nottingham.

On 15 February 1887, the Charter of Incorporation was received by the town. The new Ilkeston Borough Council went on to expand its activities and the first electric tram system in Derbyshire began operating in 1903.

Ilkeston's town centre is dominated by St Mary's Parish Church, a Grade I listed building which dates from around AD 1150. The chancel contains the tomb of Nicholas de Cantelupe who was one of the Lords of the Manor of Ilkeston in the 13th Century.

A distinctly Edwardian style of architecture is noticeable in Wharncliffe Road thanks to Ilkeston architect Harry Tatham-Sudbury who designed the neighbouring Red House, Croft House and the Manse.

Perhaps his most recognisable contribution to the town was the nearby United Reformed Church which was built of local red brick in an Arts and Crafts Gothic style with a green copper needle spire.