Rivington services is a
motorway service area
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 ...
in
Anderton, Lancashire, England. The service station is situated between Junctions 6 and 8 of the
M61 (there is no Junction 7).
History
Construction
Built in 1971, under the original name of Anderton Services, they were later renamed Rivington Services, and then Bolton West Services.
The site was opened by
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
on the same day that the Queen opened the Pennine section of the
M62, Thursday 14 October 1971. The Queen had left London from
Euston railway station
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...
to travel to
Huddersfield railway station. After the opening, the Queen caught the
British Royal Train
The British Royal Train is used to convey senior members of the British royal family and associated staff of the Royal Household around the railway network of Great Britain. It is owned, maintained and operated by DB Cargo UK.
The Royal Trai ...
at
Leyland railway station
Leyland railway station serves the town of Leyland in Lancashire, England. It was formerly "Golden Hill", the name of the street and area in which the station is based, but was renamed Leyland soon after opening. The original station was built ...
. The Queen spent 45 minutes at the services (like many
truck driver
A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
s do today), and unveiled a plaque.
Both sides had petrol, but only the westbound side had catering, when it opened.
Name change
In June 2011, they reverted to the name Rivington Services after being acquired by Euro Garages from First.
It has changed hands a number of times, having been owned by the
Kenning Motor Group,
Rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* H ...
, Pavilion,
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, and
BP, who leased it to First Motorway Services.
[
In the summer of 2009, the service area was acquired by ]Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
based Euro Garages
EG Group is a British retailer headquartered in Blackburn, United Kingdom, which operates filling stations, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in Europe, the United States and Australia. The group was created through the combination of ...
.[ After years of criticism, during which it was dubbed the worst service station in the country, plans were made to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with a smaller main building, petrol station and other facilities and amenities.Spring revamp for M61 Bolton West services]
''The Bolton News''. Published 21 January 2010.
See also
* List of motorway service areas in the United Kingdom
Motorway service areas, also known as service stations and commonly abbreviated to MSAs are places where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel, rest, or take refreshments. Some also incorporate or adjoin hotels. Only 20 motorway services in the ...
References
External links
Euro GaragesMotorway services online
1971 establishments in England
M61 motorway service stations
Buildings and structures in the Borough of Chorley
Transport in Lancashire
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