London Gateway services is the southernmost

motorway service station Motorway service areas in the United Kingdom and Ireland, also known as services or service stations, are rest areas where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel/recharge, rest, eat and drink, shop or stay in an on-site overnight hotel. The vas ...

on the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...

– between Junctions 2 and 4 – north of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. It is between

Arkley Arkley is an area of north London, England, within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located north-northwest of Charing Cross. It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet and Stirling Corner, roughly centred on the "Gate" pub, ...

and

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...

on the west side of the road, has a hotel, and, unusually, has an early ''give way'' on its northern approach.

History

It opened in 1969, run by

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, and was opened as Scratchwood Services. Its main approaches are those built for an abortive junction 3 of the M1 for a spur (as at junction 2) to link to the A1. On 6 September 1997, many people parked at the service station to witness the passing of the funeral hearse of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

on its way along with the M1 from central London to her burial place in

Althorp Althorp (popularly pronounced ) is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England of about . By road it is about northwest of the county town of Northampton and about northwest of c ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

Ramada Hotel, London Gateway Services (geograph 3866249)

A reserved section of the current service area is a major long-distance

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

service interchange. Planning has been permitted for a

Tesla Supercharger A Tesla Supercharger is a 480-volt direct current fast-charging technology built by American vehicle manufacturer Tesla, Inc. for electric cars. The Supercharger network was introduced on September 24, 2012, with six Supercharger stations. ...

consisting of 32 stalls to be built at the site was granted on 18 May 2018, – yet to open. The guns in both forward turrets on the museum ship , moored between

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

and

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

some 11.7 miles away in the centre of London, are elevated and trained on the London Gateway Motorway Services Area.

Layout

It has a separate, first, northbound approach, targeted at its hotel part, the roads of which are linked to the rest of the complex. The entry and exit spur for the motorway's southbound carriageway cross (to and from) the services at a high point on the west side. The service station has an unusual ''give way'' for the entry spur mentioned (vehicles coming from the north must give way). To far south is a linked, controlled access,

emergency vehicle An emergency vehicle is a vehicle used by emergency services. Emergency vehicles typically have specialized emergency lighting and vehicle equipment that allow emergency services to reach calls for service in a timely manner, transport equipment a ...

road to/from Ellesmere Avenue.

References

External links

Official Site - London GatewayMotorway Services Online - London GatewayMotorway Services Trivia Website - Scratchwood services (now London Gateway)
{{Motorway service stations in the United Kingdom 1969 establishments in England M1 motorway service stations Welcome Break motorway service stations Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Barnet