Beeching cutsThe Beeching cuts were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named for Richard Beeching, then-chair of the British Railways Board and the author of two reports - The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) and The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes (1965) - that outlined the necessity of improving the efficiency of the railways and the plan for achieving this through restructuring.
Burton upon TrentBurton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The demonym for residents of the town is Burtonian. Burton is located south-west of Derby, north-west of Leicester, west-south-west of Nottingham and south of the southern entrance to the Peak District National Park. Burton is known for its brewing. The town grew up around Burton Abbey.
Peak DistrictThe Peak District is an upland area in England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and includes the Dark Peak, moorland dominated by gritstone, and the White Peak, a limestone area with valleys and gorges. The Dark Peak forms an arc on the north, east and west sides; the White Peak covers central and southern tracts. The Peak District was the first of the national parks of England and Wales in 1951.
TelfordTelford (ˈtɛlfərd) is a town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre of Telford and Wrekin borough, a unitary authority which covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding settlements. The town is inland and near the River Severn. The notable hill near the town called The Wrekin is part of the Shropshire Hills an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. To the south of the town, is the Ironbridge Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
RugeleyRugeley (ˈruːdʒli or ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, north-east of Hednesford and south-west of Uttoxeter. At the 2021 Census, the population was 24,386. Rugeley is twinned with Western Springs, Illinois and, in July 1962, both towns made telephone history on national television when the chairman of Rugeley Urban District Council made the first telephone call via the new Telstar satellite to the mayor of Western Springs.
