rudyard is a lakeside village in the county of staffordshire, england, west of leek and on the shore of rudyard lake. rudyard was served by a railway station which was opened by the north staffordshire railway on 22 july 1850. ==rudyard lake==   the rudyard lake was built in 1797 by the engineer john rennie, for the trent and mersey canal company, to provide water for the caldon canal. the rudyard lake steam railway operates steam trains along a one and a half mile track along the eastern side of the lake. the western shore is part of the staffordshire way, a long distance footpath. the lakeside resort developed after the construction of the north staffordshire railway in 1845. on one particular day in 1877, more than 20,000 people came to watch captain webb - the first man to swim the english channel - swim the reservoir. the parents of rudyard kipling, john lockwood kipling and alice macdonald first met at rudyard and named their son after the village.drawing by john lockwood kipling, and biography victoria & albert museum. the lake is also home to rudyard lake sailing club and the rudyard lake steam railway. ==references== ==external links==  * rudyard lake steam railway * rudyard lake sailing club 
Staffordshire_Moorlands Towns_and_villages_of_the_Peak_District Villages_in_Staffordshire