Beckford, Worcestershire

Beckford
250px Beckford Cross House
Beckford  Beckford shown within Worcestershire
Population	602
OS grid reference	SO972360
– London	91 miles (146 km)
Civil parish	Beckford
District	Wychavon
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United 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

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