London Gateway services
Encyclopedia
London Gateway services is the southern-most motorway service station on the M1 motorway
, located between Junctions 2 and 4 north of London
, England
.
It opened in 1969, being run by Forte, and was opened as Scratchwood services. It is built adjacent to the site of the proposed junction 3 of the M1
with a spur to the A1. This link was never built and the intended roundabout junction was not completed, instead being adapted to provide access to the service area. However traffic therefore travels the "wrong way" around the junction, with some sharp turns on the slip roads.
On 6 September 1997, large numbers of people came to the service station to witness the passing of the Funeral hearse of Diana, Princess of Wales
on its way along the M1 from central London to her burial place in Althorp
, Northamptonshire
.
A reserved section of current service area is a major long-distance coach
service interchange.
The guns in both forward turrets on the museum ship HMS Belfast, some 12.5 miles away in the centre of London, are trained and elevated on the London Gateway Motorway Services Area.
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
, located between Junctions 2 and 4 north of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
.
It opened in 1969, being run by Forte, and was opened as Scratchwood services. It is built adjacent to the site of the proposed junction 3 of the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
with a spur to the A1. This link was never built and the intended roundabout junction was not completed, instead being adapted to provide access to the service area. However traffic therefore travels the "wrong way" around the junction, with some sharp turns on the slip roads.
On 6 September 1997, large numbers of people came to the service station to witness the passing of the Funeral hearse of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
on its way along the M1 from central London to her burial place in Althorp
Althorp
Althorp is a country estate of about and a stately home in Northamptonshire, England. It is about north-west of the county town of Northampton. The late Diana, Princess of Wales is buried in the estate.-History:...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
A reserved section of current service area is a major long-distance coach
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
service interchange.
The guns in both forward turrets on the museum ship HMS Belfast, some 12.5 miles away in the centre of London, are trained and elevated on the London Gateway Motorway Services Area.