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.
History In August 1963 it was to cost £350,000, sited on the north part of Trowell Moor, to be built by January 1966.Nottingham Evening Post Tuesday 6 August 1963, page 4
Construction The service area was going to be slightly further south, nearer to the A609, with planning permission given in April 1962. It was built by John Laing. Laing also built Keele around the same time; Laing had also built five teaching blocks and eight halls of residence at the University of Nottingham.Birmingham Daily Post Tuesday 17 January 1967, page 11 It was known as the Mecca Village. The site was planned to open in summer 1966, with the contract awarded on in January 1964, and construction was to start in 1965.Leicester Mercury Tuesday 21 January 1964, page 5Stapleford & Sandiacre News Friday 24 January 1964, page 1
It opened on Thursday 23 March 1967, with a special area for dogs, developed with the RSPCA.Daily Mirror Thursday 23 March 1967, page 3 At the opening were around 300 people, with many chairmen of local rural district councils, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Elliot Durham, and Alan Fairley, joint chairman of Mecca Ltd.Long Eaton Advertiser Friday 31 March 1967, page 5ATV Report March 1967
It had , and employed 300, being opened seven months after the M1 motorway section; this section of motorway took two years to be built, and cost £4.75million; the motorway section was built from junction 25 to Stanton by Dale by George Wimpey, and the next part to junction 26 was built by Robert M Douglas; the section was opened on Thursday 25 August 1966. The motorway section was meant to open in January 1966, part of the Lockington-Nuthall section.
Decoration George Dereford, a Hungarian artist from Marlow, Buckinghamshire, made two three-dimensional mosaic murals about Robin Hood, in an Aztec style, near the entrances, being seven foot high called The Fighting Horsemen and The Archer.Reading Evening Post Monday 24 October 1966, page 7 The Robin Hood Way currently follows half of the service road, to the east.
Food There were six catering units; the site could cater for up to 750 in 1966:Nottingham Evening Post Thursday 18 August 1966, page 1 Sheriff's Restaurant, 190 seats, open from 7.30am until 2am, waitress service North Forest Cafe, seated 150, open from 7am until 11pm, self-service South Forest Cafe, as the North cafe Truckers had the North Transport Club, 60 seats, from 7am to 11pm and a South Transport Club, but only open from Monday to Friday for bothStapleford & Sandiacre News Friday 24 March 1967, page 1
Manageresses completed two-year catering and hotel management courses at Clarendon College of Further Education.Nottingham Guardian Thursday 6 July 1967, page 6
Buildings It had 60 petrol pumps, a post office, a RAC station, a police station, with Robin Hood shields in the entrance. There was a business conference building for up to 250 people. The car parks were for 400 vehicles. It was managed from Trowell Hall.
Renovation On 7 April 1988 health minister Edwina Currie opened the new Country Kitchen, costing £750,000,Central Report April 1988Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 7 April 1988, page 5Nottingham Evening Post Thursday 7 April 1988, page 12 built over 10 weeks by Simons of Lincoln. At the opening, Edwina Currie said that British Rail coffee was too expensive.Derby Evening Telegraph Friday 8 April 1988, page 3
In April 1989 the Granada services were refurbished.Central report April 1989 A 'Business Point' centre opened on 4 April 1989.Nottingham Evening Post Tuesday 4 April 1989, page 17
Nottinghamshire County Council opened a Tourist Information Centre, on the northbound side, on 31 March 1991.Nottingham Evening Post Tuesday 26 March 1991, page 17 An English Tourist Network Automation (ETNA) computer was installed in April 1992.Nottingham Evening Post Friday 17 April 1992, page 9
Incidents In December 1980 at the services, 59 year old Cyril Pymer drove a Cortina 20 miles south along the M1 in the wrong carriageway, colliding head-on with a Rolls-Royce, killing three peopleATV report December 1980 On 11 September 1989 at 7.30am, a £140,000 Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS caught fire entering the northbound slip road and completely burned in the service area. There was smoke for a half-mile. It was owned by Read Performance Cars, from Birmingham.Nottingham Evening Post Monday 11 September 1989, page 1 Fire engines attended from Long Eaton, Stapleford and Stockhill.Long Eaton Advertiser Friday 15 September 1989, page 1 Early on Saturday 23 May 1992 four males in a E-registration red-coloured BMW attempted to kidnap a woman. Three males from Mansfield intervened, and one who was then kidnapped himself at knifepoint, and dumped on the slip road at junction 26, 25-year-old Paul Coupe, a tyre fitter from Mansfield. Detective Sergeant Steve Baumber, of Beeston police station, led the enquiryWolverhampton Express and Star Saturday 23 May 1992, page 1Nottingham Evening Post Tuesday 26 May 1992, page 1Nottingham Evening Post Wednesday 27 May 1992, page 3
Operation In November 1984, there were 120 staff, with a Burger Express. The southbound restaurant was closed in winter. Tea was 40p, coffee was 40p, breakfast was £2.35, beefburgers were £2.10, fish and chips was £1.85, and soup was 60p.Nottingham Evening Post Monday 19 November 1984, page 35
In July 1999, an English breakfast was £4.99, and fish and chips was £5.99. A pot of Tetley tea was £1.49, and a cup of coffee was £1.79.Derby Evening Telegraph Tuesday 13 July 1999, page 10
See also Barbara Mayo, from London, seen hitchhiking at the service area on 12 October 1970ATV report October 1970
References
External links (northbound) (southbound On the road in middle England: Midnight in Nowheresville – article in The Economist about 24 hours at Trowell services BBC documentary featuring the site and Leicester Forest East