Bescot

Settlement in Staffordshire

England

Bescot

Tame Valley Canal towards Crankhall Lane Bridge Credit: Ian S

Bescot is a small suburban area located in Staffordshire, England. Situated approximately two miles north of Walsall town centre, it forms part of the wider West Midlands conurbation. Bescot is primarily known for its railway station and the adjacent Bescot Marshalling Yard, which has been a significant transport hub since its establishment in the 1960s.

The area is predominantly residential, with a mix of housing types including terraced, semi-detached, and detached properties. Bescot benefits from good transport links, with the M6 motorway passing nearby and providing easy access to surrounding areas. The nearby Bescot Stadium is home to Walsall Football Club and also hosts other events such as music concerts.

Bescot is bounded by open green spaces, including the Bescot Park and Rough Wood Nature Reserve, providing opportunities for leisure activities and outdoor pursuits. The area also benefits from being close to the Walsall Arboretum, a picturesque park with beautiful gardens, a lake, and a range of recreational facilities.

Despite being a relatively small area, Bescot has a range of amenities and services to cater to its residents. These include local shops, schools, healthcare facilities, and public transport connections. The nearby town of Walsall offers a wider range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

In summary, Bescot is a well-connected residential area in Staffordshire, known for its railway station and marshalling yard. It offers a range of amenities and is surrounded by green spaces, making it an attractive place to live within the wider West Midlands region.

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Bescot Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 52.565851/-1.997755 or Grid Reference SP0096. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Tame Valley Canal towards Crankhall Lane Bridge

Ian S

Tame Valley Canal towards Crankhall Lane Bridge

Ian S

Tame Valley Canal at Crankhall Lane Bridge

Ian S

Tame Valley Canal at Crankhall Lane Bridge

Ian S

Tame Valley Canal at Crankhall Lane Bridge

Ian S

Northbound M6 at Bescot

Between junctions 8 and 9 of the M6 near Walsall.

David Dixon

Walsall Canal towards Rollingmill Street Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal towards Rollingmill Street Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal at Rollingmill Street Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal at Rollingmill Street Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal towards Pagett's Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal towards Pagett's Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal towards Pagett's Bridge

Ian S

Walsall Canal at Pagett's Bridge

Ian S

Carrington Road, Friar Park, Wednesbury

This is a view westwards along the length of Carrington Road; the massive tower of St Francis of Assisi church provides a distant focal point. As so often with housing estates from the 1920s and 1930s, there is an odd mismatch between the monumental road layout of grand avenues and crescents and the much more modest scale of the housing, two-storey, semi-detached and inspired by rural cottages. Friar Park was built during this period by the borough council of West Bromwich to rehouse families from slum clearance. It later became part of Wednesbury, to which it is much closer. It's all in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough now. See Wikipedia on Friar Park Link

. There are some fine lime trees in this avenue; the nearest on the right appears to have mistletoe growing on it, visible as a black ball near the top right of the photo.

A J Paxton

Lally's Newsagent, Friar Park, Wednesbury

This row of shops at the canted corner of Carrington Road and School Road is dated 1934. Most have been demolished, leaving a jagged edge at the right of the photo. In the foreground can be seen one of the Friar Road estate's fine lime trees. For more on Friar Park, see SP0194 : Carrington Road, Friar Park, Wednesbury.

A J Paxton

St Francis of Assisi church, Friar Park, Wednesbury

This vast Church of England parish church dominates the Friar Park estate, forming a focal point to the avenue of Carrington Road SP0194 : Carrington Road, Friar Park, Wednesbury. It was built 1938-41, of brick faced with pink sandstone. The architects were Harvey & Wicks of Birmingham, the builders the local firm of Dallows, assisted by Italian prisoners of war, who apparently painted frescos on the interior. The church is Grade II listed; see the Historic England site Link

, also the church website Link

. The style is Italian Romanesque, appropriately for St Francis of Assisi, just as the friar Francis is appropriate to Friar Park. The large gilded statue atop the tower jars, however, with 'Il Poverello', 'the little poor one', as the saint was known. He is depicted preaching to the birds, as in the famous story recounted by St Bonaventure, with two of them perching on his hands. He has since been fitted with bird spikes, however, to keep real live ones from landing on him. Clearly love of God's creation has its limits.

A J Paxton