Rugeley Town Railway Station
Rugeley is an industrial market town situated on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase, next to the River Trent.
Historically known as Rudgeley, the town is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 and in mediaeval times, was known for its iron workings and glass manufacturing. With the construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal during the Industrial Revolution, Rugeley flourished and when it became a junction on the railway network, further growth was obvious.
Whilst Rugeley was considered royal land, Cannock Chase was considered a royal forest. When, in 1189, King Richard I the Lionheart sold Rugeley to the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, it was still relatively small at this point. By 1259, Rugeley had grown significantly enough to be granted the right to hold a weekly market. To this day there is a weekly outdoor market held in the town.
Rugeley was an agricultural community for hundreds of years and held regular sheep, cattle and horse fairs, peaking in the mid 19th century and lasting until the 1930s. The Rugeley annual horse fair was known internationally and attracted trade from far and away. To this day there is a main road in Rugeley town centre called Horsefair honouring this, as well as another street honouring the sheep fair.
Although smaller pits had existed beforehand, the town became a centre of industrial scale deep-shaft coal mining from the 1950s, to access similar coal seams to those under Cannock Chase. With the construction of Rugeley A and B power stations Rugeley became a major centre for electricity generation. Rugeley power station was shut in 2016 and demolished in stages in 2021.
Rugeley Town railway station was opened by London and North Western Railway in 1870. The station, together with all those on the line between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley, were closed in January 1965 as part of the Beeching Axe, although the line remained open as freight-only.
A new station opened in 1997 (approximately 250m south of the original), as the second stage of the reopening to passengers of the Chase Line, which saw the extension of services beyond Hednesford. In 1998 the short section of track between Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley stations was also reopened. In May 2019, a new service to London Euston started to run, operated by London Northwestern Railway.
Attractions:
Shugborough Estate - National Trust, Trent & Mersey Canal, The Rugeley Rose Theatre, Cannock Chase AONB, Cannock Chase Forest, Ravenhill Park, Elmore Park, Cannock Chase MTB Trails, National Forest Adventure Farm, Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum & Bookshop, The Wolseley Centre (visitor centre and nature reserve) and the River Trent.
Address:
Rugeley Town Railway Station, Rugeley WS15 1NX