Hardings Wood

Hardings Wood
The Trent and Mersey Canal in Hardings Wood, Kidsgrove
Hardings Wood Location within Staffordshire
OS grid reference	SJ835546
Civil parish	Kidsgrove
District	Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme
Shire county	Staffordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STOKE-ON-TRENT
Postcode district	ST7
Police	Staffordshire
Fire	Staffordshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Stoke-on-Trent North
List of places UK England Staffordshire 53°05′18″N2°14′50″W / 53.088407°N 2.247137°W / 53.088407; -2.247137

Hardings Wood is a suburb ^[1] of Kidsgrove in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. ^[2] The suburb is close to the boundary of Staffordshire/Cheshire and is a key stop for narrowboat s using the Trent and Mersey Canal as it connects at Hardings Wood Junction. ^[3]

History

The Canal Tavern in Hardings Wood

Originally rural land and undeveloped, Hardings Wood gained industries and residential developments with the industrial revolution. ^[4]

This saw the building of both the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1777 and the opening of Hardings Wood Junction, ^[5] followed then by the opening of the Stafford–Manchester line/North Staffordshire Railway in neighbouring Kidsgrove in the mid-late 19th century. ^[6]

Amenities

The area is mostly residential and industrial, with a few small shops and two pubs, The "Canal Tavern" and the "Blue Bell Inn". ^[7] The area is also directly close to Kidsgrove town centre, which is a short walk to the east.

Transport

There are regular bus services near Hardings Wood Junction on "Gloucester Road". These run to Alsager, Congleton, Crewe, Kidsgrove and Stoke-on-Trent. ^[8]

Kidsgrove rail station is also nearby and the former Kidsgrove Liverpool Road station site, which is now occupied by a Tesco superstore.

References

1. "Hardings Wood, Staffordshire". gazetteer.org.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
2. "Historic Ordnance Survey Map of Hardings Wood, 1897". www.francisfrith.com. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
3. "Hardings Wood — Archive — Elsewhere: A Journal of Place". ELSEWHERE. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
4. "History of Hardings Wood, in Newcastle under Lyme and Staffordshire | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
5. "Heritage Locations". www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
6. "Trent and Mersey Canal: Industrial Waterway Engineering". Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). 19 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
7. "Food Menu | Blue Bell Inn Kidsgrove". bluebellinnkidsgrove. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
8. "Kidsgrove, adjacent to Gloucester Road – Bus Times". bustimes.org. Retrieved 19 August 2025.