The Beestonian Stage is the name for an early Pleistocene stage used in the British Isles. It precedes the Cromerian Stage and follows the Pastonian Stage. This stage consists of alternating glacial and interglacial phases instead of being a continuous glacial epoch. It is equivalent to the Bavelian, Waalian, and Eburonian stages from the Netherlands Quaternary subdivision combined and Marine Isotope stages 22 to (60?). The Beestonian Stage and Marine Isotope Stage 22 ended about 866,000 years ago.
The Beestonian corresponds temporally to the Gunz glaciation of the Alpine region and the Elbe glaciation of Northern Europe. It had also been equated to the Nebraskan Stage in North America. However, the Nebraskan Stage, along with the Kansan and Aftonian Stages, have been abandoned by North American Quaternary geologists and merged into the Pre-Illinoian Stage. At this time, the Beestonian stage is correlated with the period of time, which includes the Pre-Illinoian F, Pre-Illinoian G, and Pre-Illinoian H glaciations of North America.
It is named after Beeston Cliffs near West Runton in Norfolk where deposits from this stage are preserved.