Lancaster (Forton) services
Encyclopedia
Lancaster services is a motorway service station, between junctions 32 and 33 of the M6 motorway
in England
. The nearest city is Lancaster, about seven miles (11 km) to the north. The station is operated by Moto
.
Like many older service stations, it has an all-weather enclosed bridge which enables travellers to use both the northbound and southbound facilities. In 2005 this bridge had work carried out to strengthen it to withstand the impact of an HGV.
being the first), and is named after the nearby village of Forton
. The architect was T.P. Bennett and Son and it was originally operated by Top Rank
.
The services is notable for an unusual hexagonal concrete tower on the northbound side, named The Pennine Tower, which originally housed an up-market restaurant
and a sun deck. The tower was designed to resemble an Air Traffic Control Tower and is a prominent local landmark. The tower closed to the public in 1989 due to various health and safety concerns, and is only used for storage and occasional staff training. The original pentagon-shaped elevator
s which serviced the tower are still used to service the ground floor and first floor of the building.
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The nearest city is Lancaster, about seven miles (11 km) to the north. The station is operated by Moto
Moto Hospitality
Moto Hospitality is a company which operates 58 motorway service stations across the UK.Moto is owned by a consortium of shareholders including Australian Pension Funds and European and New Zealand Infrastructure Funds and is asset managed by Macquarie Investment Bank...
.
Like many older service stations, it has an all-weather enclosed bridge which enables travellers to use both the northbound and southbound facilities. In 2005 this bridge had work carried out to strengthen it to withstand the impact of an HGV.
History
Opened in 1965 with the name Forton services, it was the second service station to open on the motorway (Charnock RichardCharnock Richard services
Charnock Richard services is a motorway service station, between junctions 27 and 28 of the M6 motorway in England. It was the first service station to open on the M6 motorway when it opened in 1963. It is operated by Welcome Break....
being the first), and is named after the nearby village of Forton
Forton, Lancashire
Forton is a village and a civil parish in the Wyre District of the English county of Lancashire near the Forest of Bowland. It is near the A6 road, between the city of Lancaster and the town of Garstang. Its population is approximately 574...
. The architect was T.P. Bennett and Son and it was originally operated by Top Rank
Top Rank
Top Rank may refer to:*Top Rank, Las Vegas based boxing promotion company formed in 1973* Top Rank Records, 1950s subsidiary record label of the Rank Organisation, British company which ran from 1937 to 1996...
.
The services is notable for an unusual hexagonal concrete tower on the northbound side, named The Pennine Tower, which originally housed an up-market restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and a sun deck. The tower was designed to resemble an Air Traffic Control Tower and is a prominent local landmark. The tower closed to the public in 1989 due to various health and safety concerns, and is only used for storage and occasional staff training. The original pentagon-shaped elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s which serviced the tower are still used to service the ground floor and first floor of the building.
Facilities
The following facilities can be found at Lancaster:- Café Ritazza
- Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- The Eat and Drink Co.
- Marks and Spencer Simply Food
- WHSmith
- TravelodgeTravelodgeTravelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
- Toilets
- Kids Play Area
- Payphones
- Gaming area
- Cash MachineCash Machine"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
- BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
Fuel - Fone Bitz