Stafford Strikes Again!

A solo visit to Stafford is rapidly becoming a mainstay of my March schedules as this is the third year in succession that I've completed such an outing. 2018 set the ball rolling with Marston Road and Parkside, then 2019 stepped up to the mark with Wildwood, Walton and Weeping Cross, meaning 2020 has a tough act to follow. Could Rickerscote and Highfields provide some exceptional exploring? Let's find out...

- St Austin's Primary School -

Saturday 7th March 2020 is the date in question as the 10:14 Manchester train gets me to Stafford in little over ten minutes. For snapshot starters I've earmarked the stretch of A449 Wolverhampton Road where it leaves the town centre behind; alas it's too early for me to sample the Good Beer Guide-listed Star & Garter but the surrounding residential roads are narrow and interesting with hints of heritage. Garden Street offers neighbouring primary schools, St Austin's being of the Catholic persuasion while St Paul's is Church of England. 

- Saint Peter's, Rickerscote -

Back on the main road, I cross above the railway into Rowley Bank then branch off bound for Rickerscote. The Rising Brook as a watercourse passes through a rather desolate children's play area before Merrivale Road has me detecting a shed-like community centre off Thirlmere Way. In common with most council estates, it isn't particularly pretty around here and the 75A bus splutters along almost apologetically. I presume I've reached the centre of Rickerscote when I spot Saint Peter's Parish Church on the horizon - a fairly typical suburban place of worship as it goes.

- Site of the Rickerscote Arms -

There doesn't seem to be much else in terms of local facilities - Silkmore Lane has a chip shop and that's about it, so I figure there must have been a pub somewhere in the vicinity. Indeed there was, right next to the church in fact, but the land is now being given over to housing. For the record, the Rickerscote Arms was a Bass-branded roadhouse that opened in 1940, ceased trading in 2015 and ultimately got bulldozed in 2018. The continuation of Rickerscote Road starts to take on more of a countryside character thanks to farmers fields and riding stables, plus the inescapable scent of manure.

- Burton Square Shopping Precinct -

School Lane doesn't actually offer any glimpses of a school (unless I somehow missed it?) though there is the Post Office Sports & Social Club to keep the camera ticking over. Rejoining the A449, I can renew my knowledge of Rising Brook as the only segment of today's circuit that I'd covered previously. Stafford Manor High School and a community fire station supplement my more customary targets of the local branch library and Burton Square precinct; I'm pleased to see that Postman Pat still holds court in the post office window.

- Entering Highfields -

Next up is the Highfields estate with West Way providing my means of access. The number 9 bus is doing the rounds as Barnes Road showcases some startlingly yellow maisonettes and a squelchy football pitch - the flats at least look more inviting than the Highfields Social Club, although I understand the latter might be subject to redevelopment in the near(ish) future. Using the sequence of bus stops as my guide, I proceed into Western Downs where the modern shopping parade on Cape Road includes a Spar store and King Cod takeaway. 

- The Oxleathers -

The local boozer for this part of Highfields is the Oxleathers, a 1980s Banks's number that has a really commendable community focus. I'm more than a little apprehensive as I venture inside but some well-maintained window boxes tell me this isn't going to be a rank dive. Far from it, there's a warm welcome to be had and some football to watch (Liverpool coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1). The pub pets are the stars of the show though, a cheeky green budgie and a waddling dog ensuring bonus points for personality. Marston's Smooth, a cob and a packet of crisps has lunch easily sorted!

- A Rugby-Related Ruin? -

Some of the roads have a poetic theme (Milton, Wordsworth, Chaucer) as I twist and turn past Castlechurch Primary School to eventually exit onto Newport Road. The King's Horse stands out as a recent Greene King/Hungry Horse chain establishment situated beside the former home of Stafford Rugby Club - it's eerie to see the pitch and stands all abandoned since the club moved to a new base near Doxey Marshes. I survey the boarded-up clubhouse, leftover sponsorship hoardings and spectator terrace before making tracks for the railway station and my train home to Wolverhampton. A very worthwhile few hours!