Hopton Heath

Hopton Heath railway station in Hopton Heath, Shropshire, England, lies on the Heart of Wales Line, 25+1⁄2 miles (41.0 km) south west of Shrewsbury. The station is in a very rural area: the nearest sizeable settlement is Hopton Castle, and further afield the larger villages of Clungunford and Leintwardine, Herefordshire. The station was for a number of years the least used National Rail station in Shropshire, but passenger numbers have increased and Broome is now the county's least used station. The station and line were constructed by the Knighton Railway and opened in 1861. Further construction and route openings in 1865 and 1868 subsequently put the station on a through route between Shrewsbury and Swansea. The railway station is located below street level, to the south of the B4385 road bridge. The original station building is now private housing. Originally there were two tracks running through, but one has been lifted with the "singling" of the line between Craven Arms and Knighton in 1965. In addition to the main building, the station has retained its stone weighbridge hut next to the entrance. The station has two platforms: the original (but now disused) Shrewsbury-bound platform extends entirely to the south of the bridge; the remaining passenger platform (originally for Swansea-bound trains, but now used for all trains) extends under the bridge, though at present only the part to the south is usually used by passengers.A wooden waiting shelter is located on the platform, along with CIS display, customer help point and timetable poster board are provided to offer train running information.Access to the platform is via steps from the road bridge or alternatively via a level footpath (which cycles are also allowed to use) which runs south from the station to the "Ashlea Pools" holiday park entrance. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, between 6 July 2020 and 21 August 2021, trains did not call at the station due to the short platform and the inability to maintain social distancing between passengers and the guard when opening the train door.

Heath (or The Heath) is a dispersed hamlet in north Herefordshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of Leintwardine, on the other side of the River Clun 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of that village. Two equidistant routes between Leintwardine and Heath are possible: via the B-roads and Broadward Bridge, or via Jay Bridge (both bridges crossing the Clun).The hamlets of Heath and nearby Jay formed a single township and whilst in the present day form part of the civil parish of Leintwardine, and thus a part of Herefordshire, they were regarded as being part of Shropshire until the mid-19th century. Heath Farm is a large farm with eight recently constructed chicken breeding barns (situated by the Heart of Wales Line). The area was until recently dominated by arable farming, but today is much more diversified. Heath House is a country house and has extensive stables for horses. The Heath House estate has a number of houses and substantial outbuildings in proximity to the main house. In 1987 Simon Dale, a retired architect was murdered in Heath House. The murder remains unsolved.The B4367 road passes between Heath House and Heath Farm (to its west). At the north end of the settlement is Heath Lodge, a house with a thatched-roof, situated at the junction of the B4367 and B4385 roads, right on the border with Shropshire. To the north is the larger settlement of Hopton Heath (in Shropshire) with its railway station, to the southwest is the small village of Bedstone (in Shropshire), and to the east is the hamlet of Broadward (again, in Shropshire).

Broadward is a dispersed hamlet in south Shropshire, England, situated by the border with Herefordshire. It is in the civil parish of Clungunford, a village approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north.

Beckjay is a hamlet in the south of the English county of Shropshire. Its name, and that of the nearby hamlet of Jay (about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) south), is probably a reference to the family of Elias de Jay, who held the local manor of Bedston until 1349. A relative of this family, Brian de Jay, was the last recorded master of the English Knights Templar. Forming part of the civil parish of Clungunford, Beckjay is close to the border with Herefordshire on the west bank of the River Clun. It was a medieval township. Nearby are the hamlets of Hopton Heath, which has a railway station on the Heart of Wales Line, and Broadward with its 18th-century hall. There is a Royal Mail post box in the hamlet. The settlement also features a house with a thatched-roof. A duck pond exists just to the south of the settlement, downhill from it. The former Beckjay Mill (situated to the northeast of the hamlet, on the Clun) was the subject of several paintings by David Cox.

Abcott is a hamlet in south Shropshire, England. It lies on the west side of the River Clun and its flood plain, just opposite from the village of Clungunford, which is the parish the hamlet is part of. The B4367 road crosses the Clun (at Clungunford Bridge) and passes the hamlet, on its way between Clungunford and Bucknell. A lane connects the B4367 at Abcott and Twitchen. The famous Rocke Cottage tea rooms is situated on the B road at Abcott (formerly the Bird on the Rock tea rooms, and historically the Rocke Arms public house). Abcott Manor is a Grade II* ("two star") Listed building.Abcott was a medieval township, despite its proximity to the parish's main village and parish church (St Cuthbert's) just on the other side of the Clun. The 740 bus service calls at Abcott, outside the tea rooms, with three buses a day to Ludlow and Knighton. Nearby is Hopton Heath, which has a railway station on the Heart of Wales Line, which passes by the hamlet.

Hopton Castle is situated in the village of the same name which lies approximately halfway between Knighton and Craven Arms, in the English county of Shropshire. Hopton Castle featured in the TV series Time Team in 2010. A ruin since the early 18th century, it was partially restored between 2006 and 2011, and was officially re-opened to the public as a visitor attraction in December 2011 by the Duke of Gloucester.

Bedstone is a small village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England, close to the border with Herefordshire. The village is approximately 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) from the railway stations at Hopton Heath and Bucknell and is situated just off the B4367 road.

Twitchen is a hamlet in Shropshire, England, on the B4385 south of Purslow and near to Hopton Castle. The southern part of the settlement is called Three Ashes. A mile southeast of Twitchen is the small railway station at Hopton Heath, on the Heart of Wales Line. Three civil parishes come together at Twitchen: Clunbury, Hopton Castle and Clungunford.

Jay is a hamlet in north Herefordshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of Leintwardine, on the other side of the River Clun 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of that village. The lane between Jay and Leintwardine is called Jay Lane and the bridge over the Clun is Jay Bridge. The minor River Redlake passes Jay and then joins the Clun just south of Jay Bridge.The hamlets of Jay and nearby Heath formed a single township and whilst in the present day form part of the civil parish of Leintwardine, and thus a part of Herefordshire, they were regarded as being part of Shropshire until the mid-19th century. A Roman auxiliary cavalry fort was situated at Jay Lane.Its name, and that of the nearby hamlet of Beckjay (about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) north), is probably a reference to the family of Elias de Jay, who held the local manor of Bedston until 1349. A relative of this family, Brian de Jay, was the last recorded master of the English Knights Templar. To the north is the hamlet of Broadward (in Shropshire), to the west is the small village of Bedstone (in Shropshire), and to the south is the hamlet of Buckton (in Herefordshire).

Hopton Castle is a small village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England. The village grew up near to the keep of Hopton Castle, which was opened as a visitor attraction in 2011. Nearby is the hamlet of Hopton Heath, with its railway station on the Heart of Wales Line. Also nearby are the villages of Bedstone, Bucknell and Clungunford. Instead of a parish council it has a parish meeting; this is due to the very small population of the parish.

Bedstone Court is an imposing 19th-century country house at Bedstone, Shropshire, England. It is occupied by Bedstone College, an independent educational establishment, and is a Grade II listed building.The red brick and black-and-white timbered house was built between 1882 and 1884, to a design by architect Thomas Harris, for Sir Henry Ripley, a wealthy Yorkshire industrialist and Member of Parliament. The multi-gabled three-storey house has wooden mullioned and transomed windows and is a "calendar house", reputed to have 365 windows, 52 rooms (on the first 2 floors), 12 chimneys and 7 external doors. The central hall has a 52-panelled stained-glass window depicting the months of the year, signs of the zodiac, birds associated with the months and agricultural activities of the months. The Ripley family sold the house for educational purposes in about 1950. The building was badly damaged by a fire in 1996 but was fully restored and continues to be the centrepiece of Bedstone College.

Clungunford is a village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England, located near the border with Herefordshire.