Rugeley Power Rangers

At Mr D9's request, the third Hub Marketing adventure of 2019 saw us undertaking a Staffordshire-specific mission aiming to bid farewell to Rugeley Power Station. Situated beside the River Trent, the 'Rugeley B' facility has been a fixture on the local skyline since the early 1970s but is due for demolition later this year...

- Arriva alertness on the 70 -

A morning meeting in Wolverhampton is necessary so that Hub members can make our way to Cannock. The Chairman is unfortunately detained by a miscreant Metro so we miss our intended 70, although the delay does allow a brief Fallings Park bonus gathering pictures of the Golden Lion (recently given a Marston's makeover) and the Heron Foods store (formerly the site of the Clifton cinema). The next 70 along gives D9 his driving fix, avoiding Featherstone tailbacks and then rumbling through Cheslyn Hay past the Hawkins Colliery Social Club.

- A Pit Stop cuppa -

We alight on Delta Way at the Arriva Cannock depot where the Pit Stop Cafe can be found to the rear of the driver training centre. Despite being on garage premises the cafe is open to the public so we are perfectly at liberty to make this our breakfast location. The £4 Full English is a thing of wonder, served in classic canteen style with tea, toast, proper streaky bacon and a disc of black pudding. It comes as no surprise that the place is popular with drivers and the maintenance crew given the stonking value on offer - we may well be back for a future brekkie!

- Ascot Baldness -

Feeling contentedly stuffed, we walk off the feast by strolling into Cannock town centre via the Longford estate. The Ascot Tavern is still standing for now, boarded up and apparently doomed to demolition so the balding one has to make the most of it while he can. Wolverhampton Road then echoes to the strains of 'Save Your Kisses For Me' - the Arthur Mullard/Hylda Baker version - and we suspect those two vocalists(!) might not look out of place in the Royal Oak on Market Place, a pub packed with memorable characters and seasoned drinkers. We keep a low profile by attempting to play darts, D9 Destroyer bagging a 5-3 victory in what is shaping up to be a competitive year.

- There ain't nobody here but us chickens -

WME Whirlwind licks his wounds as we board the 63 to Rugeley, hoping that the gearbox isn't about to conk out on us. The worrying grinding noises near Cannock Chase Hospital turn out to be a false alarm and come Chadsmoor its full speed ahead through Hednesford and Brindley Heath. Touchdown at Rugeley Bus Station means we can admire the indoor market hall and nip over the road to Elmore Park, scene for D9 to come over all Doctor Dolittle again by conversing with the chickens in Pets Corner. The park closet also grabs the Chairman's attention whereas Secretary WME tries not to upset the waterfowl when getting pictures of the lake.

- One for aficionados of red triangles -

Time for our second pub of the day whereby the Vine Inn on Sheep Fair is high on the WME hitlist, and not just because it has a lovely Bass lamp above the front door. This establishment brews its own beer to recent acclaim so we duly sample the Vanilla Porter and Vine EPA respectively, both pints hitting the mark nicely as a lively Jack Russell prowls around trying to sniff out scratchings. The traditional multi-room interior is also part of the appeal here, giving a comfortingly worn lived-in sense of a pub that has stood the test of time. 

- Decommissioned Cooling Towers -

Chairman D9 is charged with leading our Power Station ferret and eventually gets his bearings to guide us past Rugeley police station and St Augustine's Church. Power Station Road is a helpful clue though you can hardly fail to see four large cooling towers looming on the horizon. The plant was coal-fired and served the energy market for over 40 years before operations ceased in June 2016. Now the towers, chimney and wider infrastructure await their final fate - Rugeley won't quite seem the same once they're gone. Chairman D9 needs consoling about the loss of such heritage so we call into the Albion (basic Banks's) and the Crown (historically a Butler's tied house) by way of a pick-me-up. 

- Rusty Barrel -

Rugeley has railway connections via the Trent Valley and Chase lines plus it's located on the Trent & Mersey Canal so it is easily accessible. We complete our town sweep by seeking out the Springfields estate, home to the Rusty Barrel in a unit of the Fernwood shopping parade. Secretary WME is particularly taken with the Revolutions Clash porter as we ponder how this micropub effectively replaces the Moderation, the estate's previous watering hole having been turned into a supermarket a few years back. We break the return 63 ride at Chadsmoor care of the Jolly Collier on Huntington Terrace, chatting with the regulars about bygone boozers, but any hope of further nightcaps is scuppered by severe late running on the homeward 70. Cheers!