The Black Cat branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located at the busy Black Cat Roundabout serving the A1 and A421 roads near Wyboston, Bedfordshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: Black Cat Roundabout, Wyboston, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 3BE
ONSITE FACILITIES: None
LITTLE CHEF NOW: Demolished
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
The site dates back to the 1920s, when the Black Cat Garage, of which today's junction is named after, was built at the junction of the A1 and the then A6002 (later renumbered the A428 in 1935). The Black Cat Garage later became a nightclub and then a restaurant before standing derelict for some time.
Following the dualling of the A1 in the 1960s, a dual-sided service station was built on the site of the former Black Cat Garage in the 1970s with each side comprising a filling station. Whilst the northbound side would become the modern day Black Cat services lasting up until 2024, the southbound side eventually closed, with the former services then playing host to a range of commercial businesses up until 2024.
In 1987, a Kelly's Kitchen restaurant was built alongside the forecourt, operated at the time by Fina (later Total). This was one of only 18 Kelly's Kitchens/ Fina sites operating across the UK and was the fifth Kelly's Kitchen restaurant to have opened in the country. Kelly's Kitchen restaurants were very distinctive, housed inside of buildings with an overhanging roof, cottage styled windows and a large funnel-like chimney built into the roof.
The Kelly's Kitchen brand was later purchased by Crest Hotels who were then purchased by Trusthouse Forte in 1990. Following Forte's purchase, all 18 Kelly's Kitchen restaurants were rebranded as Little Chefs by 1991, with the Black Cat site being converted in 1990. The 1990s introduced further developments and changes to the site, including the opening of a Burger King unit in 1997 and the construction of a Travelodge hotel in 1999, although the former closed in the mid 2000s.
In 2011, the Little Chef received the 'Wonderfully British' refurbishment along with nine other sites. Wonderfully British was the follow-on, slightly tweaked version of the "Hestonised" site, with slightly different interior finishes, new branding (Charlie lost his tray and instead had his arms open to welcome visitors) and Little Chef's new "grab and go" take-away option branded as Good to Go.
In 2014, there were plans for a Burger King outlet to be resurrected by Kout Food Group. However, this never materialised.
Following the takeover of the Little Chef brand by Euro Garages in 2017, the Little Chef at Black Cat ceased trading in January 2018, making it one of the last sites to have closed across the entire estate. Following a brief stint as an EG Diner, the building was refurbished in June 2018 to become a Subway and Greggs combination site.
In 2019, a new road project known as the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme was announced. The improvements, which would improve connectivity between Cambridge and Milton Keynes, would comprise the construction of a new 10 mile dual carriageway, replacing the frequently congested single carriageway section of A428 between the A1 and Caxton Gibbet. This would also involve the replacement of the Black Cat Roundabout with a new, three-tier junction, whereby the A1 would pass underneath and the A428 would run above. The new junction at Black Cat would consequently result in the loss of the Black Cat service station and the commercial businesses operating at the former southbound services site.
In anticipation of the new road and junction, the Subway closed in September 2020, with the Greggs following shortly afterwards in December 2020, leaving an empty restaurant building. The Travelodge then closed in November 2022, with its building and the former Little Chef building both being demolished in November 2023, and the Shell filling station closed in February 2024, marking the final nail in the coffin for Black Cat services.
Today, the site is nothing more than a building site. In 2027, when the new road is expected to open, the former services will form the northern extent of the new junction.
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