# Membury services

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{{Short description|Motorway service station in Berkshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox Motorway Services
|image              = Membury Services.jpg
|image_caption      = 
|image_size         = 290px
|name               = Membury Services
|road               = [M4](/source/M4_motorway)
|county             = [Berkshire](/source/Berkshire)
|operator           = [Welcome Break](/source/Welcome_Break)
|previousoperator   = 
|previousnames      = 
|dateopened         = February 1972 (partly), May 1973 (full)
|website            = {{URL|https://welcomebreak.co.uk/locations/membury/}}
|location_map       = Berkshire
|coordinates        = {{coord|51.4807|-1.5569|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Membury services''' is a [motorway service station](/source/motorway_service_station) on the [M4 motorway](/source/M4_motorway), located on the original site of [RAF Membury](/source/RAF_Membury) in the [civil parish](/source/civil_parish) of [Lambourn](/source/Lambourn) in the English county of [Berkshire](/source/Berkshire), close to the boundary with [Wiltshire](/source/Wiltshire), {{convert|4|mi}} west of Junction 14. It is owned by [Welcome Break](/source/Welcome_Break) and is situated adjacent to the [Membury Radio Mast](/source/Membury_transmitting_station).

==History==
The service area was built by [Ross Group](/source/Ross_Group), after{{clarify|date=August 2024}} [Leicester Forest East](/source/Leicester_Forest_East_MSA), with [Hartshead Moor services](/source/Hartshead_Moor_services).<ref>''Leicester Daily Mercury'' Tuesday 19 January 1971, page 35</ref>

===Construction===
The services were built by Monk. Planning consent had been given in July 1970.<ref>''Reading Evening Post'' Monday 12 March 1973, page 9</ref>

===Food===
It was designed by Howard V Lobb, to have three restaurants:<ref>''Reading Evening Post'' Saturday 11 December 1971, page 3</ref>
* truckers, 80 seats
* general self-service cafeteria area, 180 seats
* grill room, with waitress service, 120 seats

===Opening===
The eastbound side only opened for petrol and toilets in February 1972, but there were no meals until October 1972. The westbound side opened on Thursday 15 June 1972, with a snack bar, in a [portakabin](/source/portakabin).<ref>''Reading Evening Post'' Thursday 15 June 1972, page 3</ref> By March 1973, it was announced that the full service area would open at the end of May 1973.

On 22 December 1971, a {{convert|50|mi|adj=on}} stretch of the M4 was opened between [Badbury, Wiltshire](/source/Badbury%2C_Wiltshire) near Swindon, and the [Holyport Interchange](/source/Holyport_Interchange) on the [A423(M)](/source/A404_road); it was opened at 11 am by [Michael Heseltine](/source/Michael_Heseltine), and his daughter Alexandria, at the Holyport Interchange. The M4 section was the longest stretch of motorway to be opened in England, since the [M1](/source/M1_motorway) in 1959. The service area is on the Theale to Shefford Woodlands section, which is {{convert|16.5|mi|}}; the route was announced in December 1966, but altered in November 1967 after objections.<ref>''Reading Evening Post'' Wednesday 22 December 1971, page 12</ref> The only services on the M4 in December 1971 were at [Heston](/source/Heston_MSA) and [Aust](/source/Severn_View_services); Membury opened in February 1972; more service areas had been planned, but never built. The [Winnersh Interchange](/source/Winnersh_Interchange), with the {{convert|2.5|mi|adj=on}}[A329(M)](/source/A329(M)_motorway), opened in early 1973.

===Buildings===
Shell would run the pumps.<ref>''Reading Evening Post'' Friday 31 December 1971, page 6</ref>

===Planned services on the M4===
Other M4 service areas were planned at Warren Copse near [Shurlock Row](/source/Shurlock_Row) and [Waltham St Lawrence](/source/Waltham_St_Lawrence) (B3018), Furze Hill (B4009, [Hermitage, Berkshire](/source/Hermitage%2C_Berkshire)), and Ashes Copse near [Bradfield, Berkshire](/source/Bradfield%2C_Berkshire); in June 1972, [Berkshire County Council](/source/Berkshire_County_Council) looked at Upper Wood Farm on Cutbush Lane in [Earley](/source/Earley), owned by the [University of Reading](/source/University_of_Reading).<ref>''Reading Evening Post'' Wednesday 12 April 1972, page 4</ref>

==Facilities==
Membury is one of five services which have a [Starbucks](/source/Starbucks) drive-thru: the others are [Fleet](/source/Fleet_services) (Northbound only) [M3](/source/M3_motorway_(Great_Britain)), [Warwick](/source/Warwick_services) (Southbound only) [M40](/source/M40_motorway), [Hartshead Moor](/source/Hartshead_Moor_services) (Eastbound only) [M62](/source/M62_motorway) and [Gordano](/source/Gordano_services) [M5](/source/M5_motorway).

The service station is one of fourteen for which large murals were commissioned from artist [David Fisher](/source/David_Fisher_(artist)) in the 1990s, designed to reflect the local area and history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/achievements.html |title=David Fisher - Somerset Art - Commercial Works & Commissions |accessdate=2010-02-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025095053/http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/achievements.html |archivedate=2009-10-25 }}</ref>

The services were constructed along with this section of the M4 from 1969 to 1971 by Arthur Monk and Co Ltd.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

The [Iron Age](/source/Iron_Age) [hillfort](/source/hillfort), [Membury Camp](/source/Membury_Camp), lies to the immediate southwest of the old airfield and the services.

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

{{Motorway service station succession box
| labels = e-w
| road   = M4 motorway
| before = [Chieveley](/source/Chieveley_services)
| after  = [Leigh Delamere](/source/Leigh_Delamere_services)
}}
{{Motorway service stations in the United Kingdom}}

Category:Buildings and structures in Berkshire
Category:M4 motorway service stations
Category:Welcome Break motorway service stations
Category:Lambourn

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Membury services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membury_services) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membury_services?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.