Forton/Lancaster Services (M6)

Opened: 1965 Original owner: Toprank Current Owner: Moto Location: M6 J32/33

Then:
Opened as Forton, now known as Lancaster (Forton)

Trivia:
Very distinctive from the road- features a round tower that resembles a Air Traffic Control Tower, which originally was a restaurant, currently in use as offices. The tower is called The Pennine Tower. It became a listed building in 2012

An employee of Forton said that the Pennine Tower closed after complaints that it looked like an UFO when lit up at night and was distracting- (Sounds like an urban myth, but its a great tale, It is more likely that the services became too busy to handle the number of visitors- can anyone shed any light on this). We think it closed in 1989

Update: Eddy Rhead writes: "The tower is closed for that modern malaise Health and Safety! Apparently you need two alternative exits in case of a fire and with just one lift and one staircase coupled with a kitchen the risk is just too high."
We should have guessed it would be health and safety....

Eddy adds: " I have always said that come the end of the world and the human race has to start again, the early travellers will come across Forton tower in the middle of Lancashire and wonder at its meaning - in Planet of the Apes type thingy. Probably! "

The southbound services was one of the first in the country to have self serve vending operation it was very advanced and stylish but only stayed open for 12 months it had huge problems.

The Second Motorway Services to open on the M6

Britain's worst motorway crash on record at the time happened near the site in 1985. 13 people were killed and many others injured after a coach and ten other vehicles collided.

A large MSA, with 6930m2 of space on the northbound side and 4960m2 on the Southbound side.

Houses a Police Station

Another urban myth - That the tower was built as a rotating restaurant but was never used due to the fuel crisis. Nope not true, but a nice idea!

Appears in the video for the song "Dickie Davies Eyes" by Half man, Half Buiscuit:
Of all the sites listed on this site, this one is viewed the most.

Memories:

Deano recalls the Pennine Tower Restaurant:

"As far as I can remember, you could take the stairs or the lift and it was self service and then paid at the till once you had chosen what you wanted to eat. There was also a juke box in the restaurant. I was only a child, but I always enjoyed listening to Billy Hayley's Rock around the Clock."

Deirdre, who used to work at Forton, writes:

"I worked for many years at Forton starting when it was Top Rank, you could only get to the Tower by 2 lifts no staircase was ever used by the general public but it had a rear staircase and was used to take the rubbish down as using the lifts was not allowed!
"The tower closed for a couple of reasons 1 was that at its closure it was in fact being used as a transport cafe and the drivers stopped using it (due to the prices) so it became to costly to run that was the real reason it was easier to put the few remaining drivers in with the rest in the main cafe with the other users and give them transport prices than keep the tower open,
Just before I transferred over from Granada to Granada Healthcare it was in use by the Regional ops Director Mr Lotts and his p.a. the views are stunning in fact several of us watched the last lunar eclipse from the roof amazing is the only word to describe it
I have fond memories of Forton Services I worked with great people and met some amazing people over the years
We lived locally and I can remember the wood that was cleared to build the services we used to walk our dog and watch the motorway and services being built, my mother in fact was one of the original staff when it was opened "

Alison Goodman wrote in 2022:

I was a local girl and we used to have birthday parties at top rank, as I was then known. I remember as the big treat we where allowed to go right up to the top, the viewing level and have a group photo taken. I grew up with this fantastic building as a backdrop and eventually went to work there in the burger bar in my first summer home from uni. I fell in love with the place and still to this day, I’m 57, it was the best place I’ve ever worked. It was it’s own world. Such a mix of people, regularly we had famous faces pass through. When I first started the tower was the staff area. We had our lunch there and if I recall correctly we walked through the drivers cafe into our eating area in a separate bit, but we queued up with the drivers along the servery. We where well looked after, decent pay, free meal, uniform and free transport. Regular staff nights out where something I’ll never forget!! I eventually worked there full time, snack bar /burger bar supervisor and then up to the main restaurant as shift supervisor. I could literally talk all day about this place. I only left because I was pregnant with my oldest daughter but my younger brother started work there at 16 in the then newly built travel hotel. If you ever get chance to see a video by the group half man half biscuit for their song dickie Davis eyes.. That was filmed at forton services on a day I was working. The original version, which I can’t find anywhere, had more footage and I unknowingly appeared twice. The only version I can find now has less footage for some reason but that’s just one memory from my best job ever

Deano - for the Memory, and the UFO story!
Eddy Rhead - For the details about the closure, and the Planet of the Apes thought!
James Snodgrass