place

Beckjay

Hamlets in ShropshireShropshire geography stubs
Cottages at Beckjay geograph.org.uk 591367
Cottages at Beckjay geograph.org.uk 591367

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.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Beckjay (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.392 ° E -2.894 °
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Address

Beckjay Lane

Beckjay Lane
SY7 0PY
England, United Kingdom
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Cottages at Beckjay geograph.org.uk 591367
Cottages at Beckjay geograph.org.uk 591367
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Nearby Places

Heath, Herefordshire

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).

Hopton Heath railway station
Hopton Heath railway station

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.