Watford Gap services

).

History

Opened concurrently with the new motorway on 2 November 1959, it was the first such service station in the UK. The structure was built on the site of derelict farm buildings. When the motorway first opened the new buildings were incomplete so food was served from temporary sheds. The original plan had been for trucks to use this service station while cars used the Newport Pagnell services to the south. In practice, however, both service areas were unrestricted.

Ownership

Initially, the service area was owned and run by Blue Boar Limited, a private family company that owned the Blue Boar petrol station on a nearby roundabout on the A5 road. The roundabout was known as the Blue Boar because an inn of that name stood there.

The owners of Blue Boar Limited petitioned that their business would be destroyed by the opening of the new services and the government agreed to grant them the franchise. Subsequent franchises at other service areas were allocated on the basis of a more commercial cost-benefits assessment. Blue Boar were also offered the Newport Pagnell franchise but rejected it as beyond their capability; this was one of the reasons why both service areas catered for cars and trucks.

The Highways Agency, who own the land on behalf of the Crown, leased the site to Blue Boar for fifty years in 1982. Blue Boar subsequently sold their motorway businesses to RoadChef in 1995. RoadChef have since rebuilt the entire facility. In 2000 the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions valued the freehold interest in the land at £1.67 million.

Catering

When the restaurant did open, early in 1960, it offered a finer dining experience than the roadside cafes that were the previous norm. With strong late-fifties styling and hostesses to complement the table staff, it was noteworthy for many of the travellers, who first used it. The owners soon found, however, that travellers were unprepared to pay the prices needed to cover such service and the waitresses were replaced with self-service trays. The quality of the food also declined to that of its competitors and, because of its prominent location, the services became a byword for poor catering.

In popular culture

Roy Harper wrote a song criticizing the food at the Watford Gap on his 1977 album, Bullinamingvase. In the north of England, a common phrase used (when talking about something that is good) is "that's the best ___ this side of Watford Gap!" In popular culture, the Watford Gap is often stated as a dividing line that separates the North and the South of Great Britain.

References

* [http://www.strum.co.uk/scratch/serv1.htm Craig, David. 'Watford Gap Services', "From Watford Gap to Camelot"] . Retrieved June 29 2005.
* [http://www.msatrivia.co.uk/M1WatfordG.htm Gazza72. 'Watford Gap Services', "Motorway Services Trivia"] . Retrieved June 29 2005.
*"National Asset Register 2000", (London: The Stationery Office, 2001)

External links

* [http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/services/watford/ Watford Gap - Motorway Services Online]
* [http://www.roadchef.com/locations/watfordgap.htm Roadchef's Watford Gap Page]
* [http://www.urinal.net/watford_gap/ Watford Gap Urinals]