Understand
Rugby has always been a centre for the surrounding farming communities, and a weekly cattle market continued to be held in the town until April 2008, but it was the coming of the London & Birmingham Railway in 1838 which caused a significant expansion of the town.In 1840 a junction with the Midland Counties Railway from Leicester was completed and in consequence major railway yards and other heavy engineering industries developed in the town.
The decline of heavy engineering and the downgrading of the railway facilities led to a decline in the town. However, efforts have been made to exploit the central location of the town to attract new businesses and distribution centres to the area.
