Hopton Castle

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hopton Heath, or Hoptonheath, is a hamlet in south Shropshire, England. The border with Herefordshire is close by. It lies on the border of the civil parishes of Clungunford and Hopton Castle. There is a railway station here - Hopton Heath railway station - which today is little more than a halt on the Heart of Wales Line. The hamlet grew as a result of the railway station's construction (in 1861) — it was built to serve the villages of Hopton Castle and Clungunford. Today, a couple of small businesses operate from units near the station and there is also a site of holiday lodges, called "Ashlea Pools".The B4367 and B4385 roads intersect at Hopton Heath. One mile to the west is the village (and castle) of Hopton Castle, and also nearby are the villages of Bedstone, Clungunford and the hamlets of Beckjay, Broadward, Heath (Herefordshire) and Abcott - with its Rocke Cottage (was Bird on the Rock) tea rooms. The 740 bus service calls at Hopton Heath, with three buses a day to Ludlow and Knighton.There is a Royal Mail post box at the junction of the B roads.

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.

Clunbury is a village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England. It is near to the small town of Clun and the villages of Clunton, Purslow and Aston on Clun. In the village is the Norman Church of St Swithin and a Church of England primary school. The village lies between 145m and 155m above sea level. To the north the Clun and Kemp rivers flow, before meeting to the northeast. A lane runs up to the B4368 / B4385 crossroads at Little Brampton, and crosses these rivers by bridges.

St Swithun's Church is in the village of Clunbury, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Clun Forest, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of St Mary, Bedstone, St Cuthbert, Clungunford, St Mary, Clunton, and St Edward, Hopton Castle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

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).

Purslow is a hamlet in south Shropshire, England. It is located on the B4368 between the towns of Clun and Craven Arms, on a minor crossroads. Purslow gave its name to a hundred and there is a pub at the crossroads called the "Hundred House". There is also a manor house which has existed in some form since the twelfth century. It is believed the name originally comes from the naming of 'Pusse's barrow'. A coat of arms exists for the Purslow family. Sited at the crossroads opposite the Hundred House pub is a war memorial in form of a stone obelisk to commemorate those fallen from the area, including an officer in the Gulf War (1991).Although a tiny settlement, the annual summer Purslow Sports and Show attracts visitors (and relies on organisers) from all over the area. Highlights are a run up Clunbury Hill and the produce tent, where exhibitors compete for prizes in horticulture, cookery, and handicrafts. Held on August Bank Holiday Monday at Purslow Farm. The hamlet forms part of the civil parish of Clunbury, a nearby village.

Little Brampton is a hamlet in south Shropshire, England. It is located between Purslow and Aston on Clun, and is on the border of the civil parishes of Clunbury and Hopesay.Little Brampton is situated on a notable crossroads in the Clun valley, where the B4385 (from Lydbury North) and B4368 (running between Clun and Craven Arms) roads meet, as well as the lane down to the village of Clunbury. The crossroads is at an elevation of 167 metres (548 ft). The River Kemp flows just to the south of the hamlet; the Clun flows further south near Clunbury.The road that runs from Little Brampton to the centre of Bishop's Castle (a section of the B4385) is named "Brampton Road". There is a tea room called The Old Wheelwrights at the crossroads.By the crossroads is an ornamental road direction sign for local destinations.

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.