Medway Services | |
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![]() The services viewed from the westbound car park | |
Information | |
County | Kent |
Road | M2 |
Coordinates: | 51°20′26″N0°36′26″E / 51.3406°N 0.6073°E |
Operator | Moto Hospitality |
Previous operator(s) | Top Rank / Granada |
Previous name(s) | Farthing Corner |
Date opened | 29 May 1963 |
Website | moto-way |
Medway is a service area on the M2 motorway south of Medway, near Junction 4 in Kent, southeast England. It is managed by Moto [1] and was previously named Farthing Corner, which is the name of the nearby settlement.
The site was opened by Ernest Marples on Wednesday 29 May 1963, on the day that the first 13 miles of the M2 (Medway Towns Motor Road) opened.
There were 180 staff, and parking for 380 cars and 130 trucks or coaches. Each side had 24 petrol pumps. The first manager was W. L. Denman. [2] [3] It was the first Top Rank service area to open, followed by Knutsford Services later in the year then by Forton Services in 1965; both are on the M6.
300,000 tonnes of earth were moved, to put the service area 20 feet above the motorway. The construction of a tunnel under the English Channel had been mooted; this had attracted the Rank Organisation to the site. The site cost around £250,000.
George Wimpey were given the contract on 6 August 1962. Wimpey built 11 miles of the M2. [4]
There was no transport cafe for truck drivers, so truck drivers were expected to eat in the cafeteria, as the south side Channel Buffet was open 24 hours, and it served egg, bacon and chips. Truck drivers typically expected good standards of food.
Both cafeteria buffets were designed to serve up to ten customers a minute. American toasters were installed as they provided toast in 25 seconds, not the typical 50 seconds. Swedish cash registers were installed as these counted the customer's change as well. Infrared display units were installed to keep food hot on the counters. The choice of cake, tea and coffee came from a year of research, with hundreds of cakes and pastries being tested; local water had been taken to tea tasting rooms in London, to find the best blend of tea for the local water in Kent. Costa Rican coffee was chosen. Fruit pies were imported from Canada - blueberry, boysenberry and pecan. Apple pies, obviously, came from nearby Kent orchards; these were largely next door. Most of the salad and vegetables were from Kent, and oysters were from Whitstable. The cafes sold Cantrell & Cochrane soft drinks (C&C Group). Catering equipment was provided by Gardiner & Gulland of Hither Green in London, owned by Smith & Wellstood.
To the north-east is Hartlip, in the Borough of Swale.
The services are available from both directions, connected by an overbridge over the motorway itself.
There is a Travelodge hotel at the services which is also accessible from local roads.
Kent is a county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north; the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover to the south-east; East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.
Medway is a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent, South East England. Its council, Medway Council, is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Kent County Council. The borough had a population of 278,016 in 2019. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of Rochester-upon-Medway and Gillingham. The borough contains the towns of Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, Rochester and Strood, which are collectively known as the Medway Towns.
The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance of 70 miles (113 km). About 13 miles (21 km) of the river lies in East Sussex, with the remainder being in Kent.
The M2 is a 26-mile (42 km) long motorway in Kent, England, and was built to bypass a section of the A2 road in Kent, which goes through the Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, and Faversham. It provides an alternative route to the Port of Dover, which supplements the M20 motorway located further to the south. The terminal junctions of the M2 intersect with the A2, which come together to form a 62-mile (100 km) long trunk road from London to Dover.
The A2 is a major road in south-east England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe. It was originally known as the Dover Road. The M2 motorway has replaced part of the A2 as the strategic route.
Gillingham is a town in the unitary authority area of Medway, in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. It is also the largest town in the borough of Medway. In 2020 it had a population of 108,785.
Rainham is a town in the unitary authority area of Medway, in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Gillingham.
Heart Kent was an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Kent from studios at John Wilson Business Park in Whitstable.
The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London Victoria and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway.
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.
Moto Hospitality Limited, trading as Moto, is a British service station operator which operates 59 motorway service stations across the United Kingdom. It is currently the UK's largest service area operator.
Knutsford services is a motorway service station on the M6 in Cheshire, 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 7 miles (11 km) to the north. The site is operated by Moto.
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England. It starts at Gravesend, Kent, and traces the coast of South-East England as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, 163 miles (262 km) in total. This means that around Romney Marsh the route runs significantly inland from the modern coastline.
Hempstead is a village near Gillingham, Kent in South East England. Historically a small hamlet, Hempstead grew throughout the 20th century to become part of the urban area of the Medway Towns. Hempstead is located on the southern edge of the Unitary authority of Medway, surrounded by Wigmore and the A278 trunk road to the east, Capstone valley to the west and the M2 motorway and the village of Bredhurst to the south. Most of Hempstead is in a valley, with Hempstead Valley Drive running along its length with housing on both sides.
The Medway Viaducts are three bridges or viaducts that cross the River Medway between Cuxton and Borstal in north Kent, England. The two road bridges carry the M2 motorway carriageways. The other viaduct carries the High Speed 1 railway line linking London and the Channel Tunnel. All three bridges pass over the Medway Valley Line.
Trowell services is a motorway service station off the M1 motorway in Trowell, Nottinghamshire, England, situated north of Junction 25. Opened in 1967 by Mecca Leisure, it is currently owned by Moto. The services are situated near Nottingham.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.
Riverside Country Park is a large coastal public park, situated alongside the River Medway estuary between Gillingham and Rainham. The park covers about 100 hectares - approximately 247 acres (1.00 km2). There are a variety of natural habitats within the park, including mudflats and salt marsh, ponds and reed-beds, grassland and scrub, which provide a haven for wildlife.
Birch Services is a motorway service station located on the M62 motorway between Junction 18 (M60) and Junction 19 Heywood, close to Rochdale and Bury. There are two sides to the service station, the Eastbound services being quite old and the Westbound services being more modern. The services opened in 1972.