60s legends who called at the M1's Blue Boar... YOUR memories.IF you wanted to spot a pop band in the Sixties, the Blue Boar motorway cafe on the M1 near Rugby was the place to be. Forget hanging around stage doors at theatres. The likes of the young Rolling Stones Rolling Stones, English rock music group that rose to prominence in the mid-1960s and continues to exert great influence. Members have included singer Mick Jagger (Michael Phillip Jagger), 1943–; guitarists Brian Jones and The Who making their way to London after a gigwould often drop in to the Boar for a fry-up and a mug of coffee. Itwas the perfect spot between 'oop North' and 'The Smoke' for the friendly rivals to swap banter before taking the last lap home in their dormobile vans. Today, that legendary stop is 50 years old and like the Stones just keeps rolling along. Roadchef boss Simon Turl is hosting a party at the service area to mark the anniversary. A host of former staff, customers and celebrities have been invited to attend. The station is sited at Watford Gap Watford Gap and the small village of Watford in Northamptonshire, is the traditional crossing point on the old east-west coaching route across England. Here, a natural gap in the hills affords the easiest route between the Midlands and South East England, as well as linking - named after a gap in the hills of Northampton, not the Hertfordshire town further south. It was first established by local Rugby resident Lyndon Smith, who owned the Blue Boar filling station and garage just around the corner from the present station. The name Blue Boar came from the lake that was situated behind the first Blue Boar filling station in Dunchurch. The local legend said that a blue boar lived on the lake in the time of Robin Hood Robin Hood, legendary hero of 12th-century England who robbed the rich to help the poor. Chivalrous, manly, fair, and always ready for a joke, Robin Hood reflected many of the ideals of the English yeoman. . The services opened on the same day as the M1 motorway: November 2, 1959 between junction 16 and 17. On the day of opening the buildings were not completely finished so food had to be served from temporary sheds. Other famous diners there have included The Beatles, Dusty Springfield Dusty Springfield OBE (16 April, 1939–2 March, 1999) was a popular English singer whose career spanned four decades. She achieved her most notable success during the 1960s, with a successful comeback in the late 1980s. and James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3 1933[1][2] – December 25 2006), commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" and " . Blue Boar Ltd. sold the Watford Gap site to Roachef in 1999, who operate the site today. CAPTION(S): THOSE WERE THE DAYS...Fill up for a fiver at the Blue Boar of yesteryear yes·ter·year n. 1. The year before the present year. 2. Time past; yore. yes HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED...The Blue Boar carpark in the sixties ARE YOU BEING SERVED? Early days at the Blue Boar service area in the Sixties VIP VISITOR...Keith Richards at the Blue Boar, Watford Gap Services Watford Gap services is a motorway service area situated between junctions 16 and 17 of the M1 motorway, near Watford Gap, in Northamptonshire, England. It is provided by RoadChef Costa Coffee [previously RoadChef]. back in the 60s. Copyright: Philip Townsend Archive Ltd. Inset below, Keith Richards pictured in 2004 |
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