davieG Posted 14 February 2016 Posted 14 February 2016 14 February 2016 From the sectionLeicester Image copyrightLeicester MercuryImage captionLeicester Forest East opened in February 1966 and was one of the first motorway service stations in the UKA "once glamorous" motorway service station on the M1 is celebrating its 50th birthday. Leicester Forest East opened on 14 February 1966 with "waiters in sailor suits and a pianist on a baby Grand." At its heart was The Captain's Table restaurant in the bridge over the M1 - now replaced by fast food outlets. The once-innovative design is unlikely to win many admirers now, but Crap Towns author Sam Jordison has praised its "refreshingly upfront" ugliness. "As there are fewer and fewer buildings like this we come to appreciate them more," he said. "Let's hope it lasts another 50 years." Image copyrightLeicester MercuryImage captionThe service station boasts a walkway which allows visitors to admire the M1 from aboveImage copyrightLeicester MercuryImage captionThe once-innovative building is on a section of the M1 between Junction 21 and 21a in LeicestershireWhen it opened, just seven years after the first phase of the M1 was completed, it offered diners the opportunity for silver service on the motorway and marked a move away from the traditional roadside cafe. Terry Waite and Steve DavisProfessor Joe Moran, of Liverpool John Moores University, said: "[service stations] used to be very glamorous places, just as the motorways in the 1960s were excitingly novel places to drive. "When it opened in 1966, Leicester Forest East had a Terence Conran-designed restaurant with waiters in sailor suits, décor like an ocean liner, an open balcony on to the motorway like a ship's deck, and a pianist playing on a baby Grand. "It was really the first attempt to turn the motorway meal into a gourmet experience. "Needless to say it didn't last long, but motorway services are an important part of our social history and cultural mythology." Staff have recalled how working at Leicester Forest East sometimes provided opportunities to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Image copyrightLeicester MercuryImage captionIn the 1960s, diners were treated to a silver service experience at The Captain's Table restaurantImage copyrightLeicester MercuryImage captionWeather permitting, visitors were even able to enjoy their food outside - overlooking the M1Suzanne Chapman, who works in a newsagents at the service station, said: "Terry Waite, Steve Davis, they've all been through. "We've had loads of celebrities, David Frost came, but he didn't come to the till, he sent his driver and he stood in the background." X Factor winner Sam Bailey also worked at the newsagents before becoming famous. Image copyrightLeicester MercuryImage captionThe building itself appears to have changed little over the decadesSome encounters have proved to be more unexpected than others. Former employee Jayne Gardener recalled: "We were going over to take some stuff over to the store room one day. "Five young fellas held the door open for us and we didn't think anything of it as they were pleasant fellas. But when we got back one of the girls in the office was going crazy. "We said 'what's the matter' and she said 'Westlife are in' and they'd held the door open for us and we didn't know who they were."
davieG Posted 14 February 2016 Author Posted 14 February 2016 We used to go there after all the pubs shut in Leicester at 11pm you could get to it without going on the motorway. But then you could do U Turns on the M1 when it first opened.
Guest Mee-9 Posted 14 February 2016 Posted 14 February 2016 I don't think I've ever been there without seeing chocolate logs floating in the toilets.
DB11 Posted 14 February 2016 Posted 14 February 2016 If only it was as quiet and empty as that first photo now
GaelicFox Posted 14 February 2016 Posted 14 February 2016 There are 7 ladies working in that "hotel" Madness
FLAN Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 Used to go there after a night out clubbing in Nottingham. The only time you'd be happy paying those prices was when you were wasted
Buce Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 There are 7 ladies working in that "hotel" Madness You seem well informed..
Wymsey Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 Been there a few times and thought it was spoilt with rowdy kids.
Finnaldo Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 More spoilt by being a service station to be honest.
Bellend Sebastian Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 Terry Waite AND Steve Davis - and to think, I've never once set foot in it. If I'd known that was the calibre of clientele, things may have been very different
deejdeej Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 Why did they ever try and make it classy.. surely service stations have their uses but nothing more.
GaelicFox Posted 15 February 2016 Posted 15 February 2016 You seem well informed.. Yea I sell icecream round there
Parafox Posted 17 February 2016 Posted 17 February 2016 A good route for avoiding Junc 21 south and getting on Hinckley Road without the mare that is Lubbesthorpe Way
Thracian Posted 17 February 2016 Posted 17 February 2016 My wife and I worked there briefly at that time because we were living close by. The only lasting memory was that, within a very short time, neither of us felt like eating anything we served. don't really know why. Familiarity I suppose.
Izzy Posted 17 February 2016 Posted 17 February 2016 Used to go there after a night out clubbing in Nottingham. The only time you'd be happy paying those prices was when you were wasted Ah yes, many a paranoid, come down, breakfast had their after an all night rave at Donnington Park in the early 90's. Happy days...
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