Rugeley

An Industrial Town

Rugeley is a town in Staffordshire with a long industrial heritage. Noted in the Doomsday book in 1086, Rugeley later became a market town in the 13th century. Sitting on the banks of the River Trent, Rugeley was known in the medieval period for iron working and glass manufacture. During the Industrial Revolution, the Trent and Mersey canal benefitted the town, which was becoming known for its coal provision. Lea Hall Colliery began producing coal in the early 1960s and the town played host to two coal-fired power stations from the 1960s until their final demolition in July 2021.

Construction of Rugeley A power station began in the 1950s and was opened in 1961. The power station, with its 5 cooling towers, was powered by coal taken from the adjacent colliery and was the first such arrangement in Britain. Rugeley B power station was commissioned in 1970, adding a further four iconic cooling towers to the Rugeley skyline.

Rugeley A was decommissioned in the early 1990s following the closure of the colliery in 1991 and was eventually demolished in 1996, making way for new housing. Rugeley B continued operating until 2016. Demolition of the site began in 2019 with the four cooling towers coming down as a dramatic finale in July 2021.

A video of the Rugeley Towers being demolished in July 2021

Rugeley and Canal Paul L. G. Morris/TTTV

Compare the skyline of Rugeley between c. 1960s and 2021. Notice how the cooling towers and the chimneys of Rugeley A Power Station have been demolished and new homes now overlook the Trent and Mersey Canal.

The original photograph is supplied by National Waterways Archive, Canal and River Trust, BW200-1-99-91-4.