Charnock Richard MSA

Last updated

Charnock Richard Services
Charnock Richard Motorway Services M6.jpg
Main building (2007)
Lancashire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Charnock Richard Services
Location in Lancashire, England
Location map United Kingdom Borough of Chorley.svg
Red pog.svg
Charnock Richard Services
UK motorways map (pale lines).svg
Red pog.svg
Charnock Richard Services
Location on the UK motorway network
Information
County Lancashire
Road M6
Coordinates: 53°37′50″N2°41′30″W / 53.630425°N 2.691779°W / 53.630425; -2.691779
Operator Welcome Break
Previous operator(s) Trust House Forte
Date opened1963 [1]
Website Welcome Break

Charnock Richard Services is a motorway service area between Junctions 27 and 28 of the M6 in England. The services are in the Lancashire borough of Chorley and were the first on the M6 when they opened in 1963. [2] Originally operated by Trust House Forte, the services are currently operated by Welcome Break. [2] [3]

Contents

History

In August 1961 the contract was awarded to Motorway Services, owned by Blue Star Garages and Forte. [4] The nearby 29 mile £24m section of M6 opened on Monday 29 July 1963, from Preston to Lymm, making the M6 now 65 miles. [5] It was the first motorway service area to have a restaurant on the bridge over the motorway. The Thelwall Viaduct opened on the same day. The motorway section largely replaced the A49, which passed north-south next to the services. Background music was supplied by Moodmaster of Romford. [6]

Another service area on the 29 mile section was planned for Newton le Willows, to the north-east of the town, which is now part-built, with a signpost for 'Works unit'; the services was to have been called Haydock Park services. [7]

Keele services was an exact copy of Charnock Richard; [8] Keele opened on Friday 15 November 1963.

Design

The services complex was designed by Terence Verity of Verity Associates.

The fast-food restaurants are located on the bridge over the motorway, rather than restaurants on each side. The bridge restaurant, which had been converted to a Little Chef, was removed in the late 1990s and replaced with Burger King and KFC units at opposite ends of the bridge with a seating area in the middle. This layout remains the same today. [3]

The southbound side has an unusual layout for motorway service areas in the UK, insofar as the fuel forecourt is sited at the top of the entry slip road, on arrival at the complex. The more commonly used layout places the fuel forecourt as the last facility before motorists rejoin the motorway. The design of motorway service areas was still experimental at the time the site was built in the early 1960s, and this arrangement was not repeated.

Satisfaction

The 2019 Motorway Services User Survey found that the southbound side of Charnock Richard was in the worst five motorway services in the United Kingdom for customer satisfaction. [9]

The 2022 Transport Focus survey calculated a 93% satisfaction score for the northbound services and 83% for the southbound services, making it the third-worst in the UK. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M6 motorway</span> Longest motorway in England

The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over 230 miles (370 km) from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby before heading north-west. It passes Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle before terminating at Junction 45 near Gretna. Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74(M) which continues to Glasgow as the M74. Its busiest sections are between junctions 4 and 10a in the West Midlands, and junctions 16 to 19 in Cheshire; these sections have now been converted to smart motorways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M56 motorway</span> Motorway in England

The M56 motorway serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately four miles north of Chester. With a length of 33.3 miles (53.6 km), it connects North Wales and the Wirral peninsula with much of the rest of North West England, serves business and commuter traffic heading towards Manchester, particularly that from the wider Cheshire area, and provides the main road access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A500 road</span> Road in England

The A500 is a major primary A road in Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It is dual carriageway for most of its length and connects Nantwich, junctions 16 and 15 of the M6 motorway with the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is 19 miles (31 km) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keele</span> Village in Staffordshire, England

Keele is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale. Keele lies on the A53 road from Newcastle to Market Drayton and Shrewsbury. The village is the location of Keele University and Keele Services, a motorway service area on the M6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keele services</span> Motorway service station in Staffordshire, England

Keele services is a motorway service station, between junctions 15 and 16 of the M6 motorway near Keele in England. Operated by Welcome Break, it was built in 1963 and was designed by Terence Verity of Verity Associates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corley services</span> Motorway service station in Warwickshire, England

Corley services is a motorway service station between junctions 3 and 3A of the M6 motorway in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is close to the village of Corley, with the nearest city being Coventry several miles to the south, with Birmingham being situated slightly further to the west. A footbridge, made of concrete but now clad in green fibreglass panelling, spans the motorway to link services on both sides.

Welcome Break Limited is a British motorway service station operator that operates 35 motorway service stations in England, Scotland and Wales. It is the second-largest motorway service area operator behind Moto. It also operates hotels and motels. It is a subsidiary of Applegreen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knutsford Services</span> Motorway service station in Cheshire, England

Knutsford services is a motorway service station on the M6 in Cheshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stafford services</span> Pair of motorway service stations in Staffordshire, England

Stafford services is a pair of motorway service stations on the M6 motorway near Stone, Staffordshire, England. In August 2011 it was rated as 4 stars and 3 stars by quality assessors at Visit England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster (Forton) Services</span> Motorway service station in Lancashire, England

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 seven miles (11 km) to the north. The site is operated by Moto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwaite Services</span> Motorway service station in Cumbria, England

Southwaite services is a motorway service station, between junctions 41 and 42 of the M6 motorway near Southwaite, Cumbria, England. It is about 7 miles (11 km) south of Carlisle, within the civil parish of Hesket

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandbach services</span> Motorway service station in Cheshire, England

Sandbach services is a motorway service station on the M6 in Sandbach, Cheshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton-le-Woods</span> Human settlement in England

Clayton-le-Woods is a large village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. According to the census of 2001, it has a population of 14,528. At the 2011 census the population of Cuerden civil parish was included within Clayton-le-Woods, giving a total of 14,532.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charnock Richard</span> Human settlement in England

Charnock Richard is a small village and civil parish in the borough of Chorley, Lancashire, in England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 1,748.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heston MSA</span>

Heston services is a motorway service station on the M4 motorway in the London Borough of Hounslow, built on land that once formed part of the now defunct Heston Aerodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taunton Deane services</span> Motorway service station in Somerset, England

Taunton Deane services is a double sided motorway service station on the M5 motorway near Taunton, England. It is owned by Roadchef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cullompton services</span> Motorway service station in Devon, England

Cullompton services is a motorway service station on the M5 motorway near Exeter. It is owned by Extra MSA. It has a McDonald's restaurant which is franchised and offers table service, a small WHSmith and a Costa Coffee which is owned by Moto Hospitality. There is also a Shell petrol station nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton Canes services</span> Motorway service station in Staffordshire, England

Norton Canes Services is a Motorway Service Station on the M6 Toll, in the village of Norton Canes near the towns of Brownhills, Cannock, and Walsall, in Staffordshire, England. It is operated by Roadchef, which has a 25-year lease on the site. The company also uses the site as its head office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burtonwood services</span>

Burtonwood services is a motorway service station on the M62 in Cheshire, near Warrington in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weaver Viaduct</span> Bridge in Frodsham, Cheshire

The Weaver Viaduct, in the north of Cheshire on the M56, is one of the longest concrete viaducts on the British motorway network.

References

  1. ↑ "Motorway Services Trivia – Chronology". msatrivia.co.uk. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Charnock Richard Services". msatrivia. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  3. 1 2 "Services List: Charnock Richard information". motorwayservicesonline. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  4. ↑ Coventry Evening Telegraph 17 August 1961, page 10
  5. ↑ Leicester Mercury Monday 29 July 1963, page 11
  6. ↑ Staffordshire Sentinel Wednesday 13 November 1963, page 5
  7. ↑ Staffordshire Sentinel Friday 2 August 1963, page 4
  8. ↑ Birmingham Mail Wednesday 13 November 1963, page 10
  9. ↑ Smithers, Rebecca (31 July 2019). "Severn Bridge services named as worst on England's motorways". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  10. ↑ Lancefield, Neil; Macpherson, Jon (19 October 2022). "Two M6 motorway services in Lancashire ranked among worst in UK". LancsLive. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
Next southbound:
Lymm (Truckstop)
Knutsford (full services)		 Motorway service stations on the
M6 motorway 		Next northbound:
Lancaster (Forton)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.