Rugby, Warwickshire

19 October 2007

IT WAS back in 1823 when Rugby School pupil William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a game of football on The Close that one of the world's most popular sports was created, putting the town of the same name on the global map.

Since then Rugby has become renowned for being the official home of rugby football although it has many more strings to its bow. Set in the heart of the country, Rugby can be dated back to medieval times and was mentioned in the Doomsday Book as Rocheberie. Its history can also be traced through the ages, notably back to the Roman era when there was a big settlement near the A5 to the east of town. It is from this site where many Roman artefacts have been excavated and put on display in the museum.

Rugby has gone on to establish itself as one of Warwickshire's more thriving market towns which has enjoyed a long and colourful history. It is still surrounded by numerous picturesque villages, many of which have retained their rural charm.

Over the years the industrial and rural heritage has been maintained while the town has continued to develop to mirror the demands of the modern day.
The buzzing town centre streets are home to many big high street retailers as well as a host of charming independent traders. There are plans in the pipeline for an international rugby football museum, cashing in on England's World Cup victory in 2003.

Entertainment is catered for in one of the many high quality cosmopolitan-style bars and restaurants. Rugby Theatre stages amateur productions, shows and film screenings throughout the year, while the out-of-town Junction One retail and leisure park, which opened on Leicester Road in 2001, is home to a bowling alley, multi-screen cinema, and health and fitness club.

A major recent addition to the town is the £2million Library, Art Gallery and Museum on Little Elborow Street, which was opened in 2000. The next big development will be when supermarket giant Asda opens a superstore on the largely derelict Chapel Street site in 2007. There will also be other shop units in the mini shopping centre.

An American-style regeneration project is also being trailed to improve Rugby with businesses set to decide at the end of the year whether or not to pay more in business rates to pay for extra services such as better street cleaning, an improved CCTV system and town wardens.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the town centre is Caldecott Park. Regarded by many as the jewel in Rugby's crown, the 100-year-old park is the centrepiece of the annual entry into the Heart of England Britain in Bloom competition.

The historic Rugby School dominates the town and still plays a big role. The school has an international reputation of its own as one of the most prestigious independent schools in this country.
Rugby is growing every year with numerous large scale housing developments going up while the town's economy has enjoyed a real boost in recent years with many blue chip companies re-locating their distribution centres here including GAP Clothing, Tesco, Asda, Argos, Sainsburys, Nissan and Honda.

But the big employers are French-owned engineering group Alstom, Rugby Cement, civil engineering firm Morgan Est and French car maker Peugeot which is based just down the road in Ryton on Dunsmore.

Rugby, unlike many small towns in Warwickshire, has its own hospital. After many years under threat of closure, the Hospital of St Cross is now a thriving medical centre which has had millions of pounds invested into it over the past four years and even more promised in the future.

For more information about Rugby visit www.therugbyobserver.co.uk

Police probe town link to dead baby»

Parents warned to be SMART with their young»

Town could lose four firefighters»

Fighting to keep free green bins»

Tag rugby training sessions kick off»

Youth groups get slice of big grant»

Group appeals for new voices»

Weather-hit fun day rescheduled»

Two town post offices earmarked for closure»

Jonjo to cycle for fellow sufferers »

Couple tied up as their pub is robbed»

Cobblers cycle for children's charity»

Celebratinos for bone cancer battlers»

Spa ice-cream gets Royal approval»

Man is killed by train in Barnt Green»

Police probe Alvechurch canal death»

Rubery robbery is being investigated»

Rovers halted by Brakes»

Children get sporty»

Charity drive brings success»