Beckford, Worcestershire

Beckford

Beckford Cross House
Beckford
 Beckford shown within Worcestershire
Population 602 
OS grid referenceSO972360
    London  91 miles (146 km) 
Civil parishBeckford
DistrictWychavon
Shire countyWorcestershire
RegionWest Midlands
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town TEWKESBURY
Postcode district GL20
Dialling code 01386
Police West Mercia
Fire Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
List of places
UK
England
Worcestershire

Coordinates: 52°01′00″N 2°02′00″W / 52.016667°N 2.033333°W / 52.016667; -2.033333

Beckford is a small village on the main Cheltenham to Evesham Road, five miles north-east of Tewkesbury, on the WorcestershireGloucestershire border.

The village straddles the A46 and is one of the villages at the foot of Bredon Hill. The Carrant Brook runs between Beckford and Little Beckford and there was a ford across the brook which gave rise to the original name. There is no link between the village of Beckford and the family with the name of Beckford who are considered to be among the original Jamaican slaveowners. The local pub is called the Beckford Inn and the village is known for its silk printing factory which attracts tourists through its workshop tours and demonstrations.

Beckford once had a railway station, belonging to the Midland Railway (later part of the LMS), and situated on a lengthy loop line, branching off the Bristol to Birmingham main line at Ashchurch, passing through Evesham, Alcester and Redditch, and rejoining the main line at Barnt Green, near Bromsgrove. The loop was built to address the fact that the main line bypassed most of the towns it might otherwise have served, but it took three separate companies to complete.

The loop officially closed between Ashchurch and Redditch in June 1963, but poor condition of the track had brought about withdrawal of all trains between Evesham and Redditch earlier, in October 1962, being replaced by a bus service for the final eight months. Redditch to Barnt Green remains open on the electrified Birmingham suburban network.

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