Lancaster (Forton) Services

Motorway service station in Lancashire, England

Lancaster (Forton) Services

The Pennine Tower

Lancaster (Forton) Services

Location in Lancashire, England

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Lancaster (Forton) Services

Location in Wyre Borough, Lancashire

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Lancaster (Forton) Services

Location on the UK motorway network

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Information
County| Lancashire
Road| M6
Coordinates:| 53°57′39″N 2°45′35″W﻿ / ﻿53.9608°N 2.7596°W﻿ / 53.9608; -2.7596
Operator| Moto Hospitality
Previous operator(s)| Top Rank
Previous name(s)| Forton Services
Date opened| 19 January 1965 (petrol only)[1] 14 July 1965 (full)
Website| moto-way.com/services/lancaster-northbound

Lancaster (Forton) services is a motorway service station, between junctions 32 and 33 of the M6 motorway in England. The nearest city is Lancaster, about 7 miles (11 km) to the north. The site is operated by Moto.

Like many older service stations, it has an all-weather enclosed bridge which enables pedestrians to use both the northbound and southbound facilities. In 2005 this bridge had work carried out to strengthen it to withstand the impact of a heavy goods vehicle.[2]

## History

[edit]

In September 1964, it was due to open in April 1965, when it was announced that all Rank Organisation service areas would have showers and toilets for lorry drivers, starting with Forton. The company felt that lorry drivers were often overlooked, and that lorry drivers previously had a 'smoke and a sandwich in a lay-by'. These views came from John Davis, chairman of The Rank Organisation, at the awards ceremony of the UK Lorry Driver of the Year awards near Nuneaton on 13 September 1964.[3]

### Construction

[edit]

It opened on the afternoon of 29 January 1965[4][5] with the name Forton services; it was the second service station to open on the motorway (Charnock Richard being the first), and is named after the nearby village of Forton. Until the end of April 1965, it was planned to have petrol only. It fully opened on Wednesday 14 July 1965, with 276 staff, and manager 36-year-old David Beatson,[6] educated at Sale Grammar School.[7]

The architect was T. P. Bennett and Son and it was originally operated by The Rank Organisation (Top Rank Motor Inns). T. P. Bennett and Son's first design for service areas was Strensham services; Forton was its second. Farthing Corner (Medway services) on the M2 was the first Top Rank to open, followed by Knutsford.[8]

It was opened on the Preston-Lancaster section of the M6.[9] Junction 33 (A6) is to the north and junction 32 (M55) is to the south; the section opened on 29 January 1965.[citation needed]

## Structure

[edit]

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.[10] The tower was designed to resemble an air traffic control tower and is a prominent local landmark. The tower is 74 feet (23 m) across.

The tower closed to the public in 1989 due to current fire regulations (there is no means of providing an alternative exit from the restaurant deck in an emergency), and is only used for storage and occasional staff training.[citation needed] The tower was built to give views over Morecambe Bay to the west and the Trough of Bowland to the east. Recently, Moto has refreshed the services. The tower has been painted in a beige colour and one of the passenger lifts has been refurbished.

The tower was listed Grade II on 15 October 2012.[11]

The site's eastern edge is the boundary between Wyre district and City of Lancaster district.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lancaster Guardian Friday 29 January 1965, page 20
2. ^ Highways Agency - Safety work strengthens footbridge at Forton Services on M6, Lancashire Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine \- Accessed 26 January 2009
3. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph 14 September 1964, page 11
4. ^ Wolverhampton Express and Star Friday 29 January 1965, page 26
5. ^ Lancaster Guardian Friday 05 February 1965, page 11
6. ^ Lancaster Guardian Friday 16 July 1965, page 14
7. ^ Lancaster Guardian Friday 21 August 1964, page 8
8. ^ East Kent Gazette 30 May 1963, page 10
9. ^ "40 Years Ago – Steelwork on the Motorways". New Steel Construction. 1 May 2006 [1966].
10. ^ RIBA
11. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1404607)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forton services.

* Official website

Next southbound:
Charnock Richard |  Motorway service stations on the
M6 motorway | Next northbound:
Burton-in-Kendal

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