Description:A photograph taken from the deck of Colton Road Bridge showing the first Trent Valley Railway station building and up platform at Rugeley, designed by John Livock, opened in 1847, and demolished in 1908 to provide space for two additional railway lines to widen the railway which required a new station building and up platform. At the time of this photograph the station was named ‘Rugeley’. The original platform canopy with its cast-iron columns can be seen, as can the additional 124ft (38m) long canopy, the ramp with its railings just visible on the left leading to the footbridge, and the footbridge, all erected in 1891. The building’s half-timbered structure with bay windows, and the tall chimney stacks, typical of Livock’s architecture, can also be seen.
Mr A.G. Sykes is on the left of the group of standing men and the railwayman in the centre is Mr T. Izon. Mr Sykes was Stationmaster for many years until 1914.
The building, apart from the booking hall, office and waiting rooms, also contained the stationmaster’s four-bedroom house at the end nearest the camera on the ground and upper floors with a cellar below. The low building behind the group contained the Stationmaster’s kitchen and pantry with the kitchen window behind the group, and on the right, the porters’ room with its window and door. The Stationmaster’s dining room window is under the canopy behind Mr Sykes and the upstairs bay window nearest the camera and the small bay window in the centre were for bedrooms. The Foreman’s three-bedroom house was at the far end, also on the ground and upper floors. From the end of the station nearest the camera a steep staircase descended to Colton Road All that remains of the station building is the sewer chamber, now below Station House private car park, and the Colton Road staircase walls with its road entrance bricked up.
The tracks nearest the platform are now the down lines (from Euston) and the track and points on the left are for the Cannock Branch line.
Information provided by Robin Mathams and Dave Barrett, The Trent Valley Railway History Project.