B5314

The B5314 is a short rural B-road across the boundary between Shropshire and Staffordshire, east of Telford and northwest of Wolverhampton, which from a map looks as if it cuts off the corner between the A5 and A41, providing a quicker route from Weston-under-Lizard to Weston Heath. However, this is completely different on the ground!

From the A5, the B5314 is only accessible from the west, meaning that all traffic would have to pass the A41 anyway. From the A41, the road is signposted to Great Chatwell and Blymhill - two small villages that would be approached more easily from this direction by taking a different road. It seems as if the B5314 is only still classified for historical reasons and is not recommended for through traffic.

Fingerpost at Weston Cross Roads

The B5314 starts on the A5 about half a mile east of the roundabout with the A41. It is only accessible from this direction (see above). The road is more-or-less straight and fairly featureless.

The road bends slightly at Lodge Farm (about a third of the way along its route) and then reaches a crossroads after another third, where it passes from Staffordshire into Shropshire. The hamlet here is imaginatively named Weston Cross Roads. After the final third, climbing steadily, we reach a crossroads on the A41 which marks the end of the B5314. Local traffic may continue across in the direction of Sheriffhales.

The B5314 was not part of the original batch of road numbers allocated in 1922. This was quickly identified as an error, and the number was allocated in an early batch of additional numbers in the mid-1920s.

The route is identical to that originally allocated with no improvements, extensions, truncations or deviations, which as might be expected, is somewhat unusual.