Charnock Richard services

{{Short description|Motorway service area in Lancashire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Use British English|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox Motorway Services |image = Charnock Richard Motorway Services M6.jpg |image_caption = Main building (2007) |name = Charnock Richard Services |road = M6 |county = Lancashire |operator = Welcome Break |previousoperator = Trust House Forte |previousnames = |dateopened = 1963{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} |website = {{URL|https://welcomebreak.co.uk/locations/charnock-richard/}} |location_map = Lancashire#United Kingdom Borough of Chorley#United Kingdom motorways |map_caption = Location in Lancashire, England##Location in Chorley Borough, Lancashire##Location on the UK motorway network |coordinates = {{coord|53.6304|-2.6918|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} }}

'''Charnock Richard Services''' is a motorway service area between junctions 27 and 28 of the M6 in England. The services are in the Lancashire borough of Chorley and were the first on the M6 when they opened in 1963.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Originally operated by Trust House Forte, the services are currently operated by Welcome Break.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==History== In August 1961, the contract was awarded to Motorway Services, owned by Blue Star Garages and Forte.<ref>''Coventry Evening Telegraph'' 17 August 1961, page 10</ref> The nearby {{convert|29|mi|sing=on}} mile £24{{nbsp}}million section of M6 opened on 29 July 1963, from Preston to Lymm, making the M6 now {{convert|65|mi}}.<ref>''Leicester Mercury'' 29 July 1963, page 11</ref> It was the first motorway service area to have a restaurant on the bridge over the motorway. The Thelwall Viaduct opened on the same day. The motorway section largely replaced the A49, which passed north-south next to the services. Background music was supplied by Moodmaster of Romford.<ref>''Staffordshire Sentinel'' 13 November 1963, page 5</ref>

Another service area on the 29-mile section was planned for Newton le Willows, to the north-east of the town, which is now part-built, with a signpost for 'Works unit'; the services was to have been called Haydock Park services.<ref>''Staffordshire Sentinel'' 2 August 1963, page 4</ref>

Keele services was an exact copy of Charnock Richard;<ref>''Birmingham Mail'' 13 November 1963, page 10</ref> Keele opened on 15 November 1963.

==Design== The services complex was designed by Terence Verity of Verity Associates.{{cn|date=April 2026}}

The fast-food restaurants are located on the bridge over the motorway, rather than restaurants on each side. The bridge restaurant, which had been converted to a Little Chef, was removed in the late 1990s and replaced with Burger King and KFC units at opposite ends of the bridge with a seating area in the middle. This layout remains the same today.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The southbound side has an unusual layout for motorway service areas in the UK, insofar as the fuel forecourt is sited at the top of the entry slip road, on arrival at the complex. The more commonly used layout places the fuel forecourt as the last facility before motorists rejoin the motorway. The design of motorway service areas was still experimental at the time the site was built in the early 1960s, and this arrangement was not repeated.

==Satisfaction== The 2019 ''Motorway Services User Survey'' found that the southbound side of Charnock Richard was in the worst five motorway services in the United Kingdom for customer satisfaction.<ref name="msus2019">{{cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Smithers |title=Severn Bridge services named as worst on England’s motorways |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/aug/01/severn-bridge-services-named-as-worst-on-englands-motorways |access-date=1 August 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=31 July 2019}}</ref>

The 2022 Transport Focus survey calculated a 93% satisfaction score for the northbound services and 83% for the southbound services, making it the third-worst in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lancefield |first=Neil |last2=Macpherson |first2=Jon |date=2022-10-19 |title=Two M6 motorway services in Lancashire ranked among worst in UK |url=https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/m6-lancaster-south-charnock-richard-25296271 |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=LancsLive |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Official website|https://welcomebreak.co.uk/locations/charnock-richard/}}

{{Motorway service station succession box | road = M6 motorway | labels = s-n | before = Lymm (Truckstop) Knutsford (full services) | after = Lancaster (Forton) }}

Category:M6 motorway service stations Category:Welcome Break motorway service stations Category:Transport in Lancashire Category:Buildings and structures in the Borough of Chorley