Bedstone | |
---|---|
Location within Shropshire | |
Population | 272 (2011) [1] |
OS grid reference | SO369755 |
• London | 159 miles (256 km) |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Bucknell |
Postcode district | SY7 |
Dialling code | 01547 |
Police | West Mercia |
Fire | Shropshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
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.
Bedstone College, an independent boarding and day school founded in 1948, was purchased in 2017 by London & Oxford Group, an asset management and investment banking firm specialising in introduction of Chinese investment to the UK Education sector. [2] LOG has reportedly made little or no governance changes to the school and "giving its full support to the current management team at Bedstone." [3] Famous former pupils include the present Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees (whose parents founded the school), now Baron Rees of Ludlow, and explorer and TV presenter Monty Halls. The current head is Toby Mullins.
Educating around 220 day and boarding students, the College is not selective and does not require pupils to sit an entrance exam. It offers a broad curriculum from reception through to A Level. Physical education and extra-curricular activities are an integral part of the school week, which includes Saturday-morning lessons and five afternoons set aside for sports and a choice of activities.
There are four boarding houses:
Each is run by houseparents who are typically academic staff and their families.
Its campus houses the notable country house that is Bedstone Court. Its founders include the parents of Sir Martin Rees. [4] On GCSE results, the College is the second best non-selective school in Shropshire and the sixth overall. [ citation needed ]
St Mary's church [5] dates back to Norman times and features an original Norman font, a timber framed bellcote and a shingled spire, and some of the houses, which include several thatched cottages, are more than 600 years old.
Manor Farm house is an example of a timber-framed house and was partly stone-faced in 1775. Bedstone Court, now the home of Bedstone College, is a more flamboyant black-and-white mansion, built between 1882 and 1884, designed by Thomas Harris for Henry Ripley, MP and is a calendar house reputed to have 365 windows, 52 rooms (on the first two floors) twelve chimneys and seven external doors. The central hall has a magnificent 52-panelled stained-glass window depicting the months of the year, signs of the zodiac, birds associated with the month and the agricultural activity of the month.
The building was heavily damaged by a fire in 1996 but was fully restored and continues to be the centrepiece of Bedstone College: the independent co-educational boarding and day school for pupils from 4 to 18.
Until the 2000s there was a post office but now there is just a Royal Mail post box in the hamlet. [6]
The civil parish covers a small area, with no other settlements than Bedstone itself. With a parish population of just 85 (in 2001), the parish council has now been merged with that of neighbouring Bucknell parish. In ecclesiastical terms, the church is linked with those of Hopton Castle and Clungunford.
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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.
Bedstone is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains nine listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, two are listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains the village of Bedstone and the surrounding countryside. The listed buildings consist of a church, houses and cottages, and a country house with associated structures.
Bucknell is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. The parish contains 30 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of the three grades, which is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest". The parish contains the village of Bucknell and the surrounding countryside. Most of the listed buildings are in the village, and a high number of them are basically timber framed and date from the 14th to 17th centuries; these include houses, cottages, farmhouses and farm buildings. The other listed buildings are a church, an ice house, a railway station and a telephone kiosk.
Hopton Castle is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains eleven listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains the village of Hopton Castle and the surrounding countryside. The oldest listed building in the parish consists of the remains of Hopton Castle. Most of the other listed buildings are houses, cottages, farmhouses and farm buildings, all of which are timber framed. In addition a church, two memorials in the churchyard, and a telephone kiosk are listed.
Hopton Wafers is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains 26 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, three are at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains the village of Hopton Wafers, the smaller settlement of Doddington, and the surrounding countryside. The listed buildings include houses and farmhouses, some of which are timber framed, two churches, memorials and tombs in a churchyard, a country house and associated structures, two bridges, and a war memorial.