Besford House
Besford House, Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, was built originally as a private residence in 1893. In 1911 it was set up a boys’ home, as a way of getting children out of the workhouses. It has now been restored as a family home.
Part of Belle Vue Cemetery was damaged in 1943, in a fire said to have been started by boys from Besford House Children’s Home.
The Public Assistance Act in 1948 transferred the running of the institution to the Shrewsbury Children’s Homes Committee.
The Local Government reorganisation in the late 1960s made Social Services responsible for the administration of the home.
In 2011, it was put up for sale as “a nine-bedroom detached house with a guide price of £950,000”.
In 2012, the house was under threat, as a local housing group made proposals to demolish it to make way for new homes. However, planners rejected the proposal, and Besford House has since been restored as a family home.
Besford House is located at 42 Trinity Street, Shrewsbury, SY3 7PQ.
In the news #
Shropshire Star, 12th April 2012
Scaled back plans for 16 houses on Shrewsbury council site
Shropshire Housing Group has tabled proposals to build 16 new homes on the site of Besford House in Trinity Street, Belle Vue.
Shropshire Star, 20th September 2012
Shrewsbury Matters: Fears that the battle to save house is lost
Almost 70 members of the public have objected to the plans which would see Besford House swept away. We are talking here about a handsome Victorian mansion which stands within a conservation area, and which, having been for decades an important children’s home, has much to say about the history of the area.
Shropshire Star, 21st September 2012
Shropshire care home demolition proposal is thrown out
Controversial plans to demolish a historic former children’s care home in Shropshire to make way for housing have been thrown out by councillors.