The Huntingdon branch (sometimes known as the Fenstanton branch) was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the eastbound side of the A14 (now A1307) in the village of Fenstanton near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A1307 Eastbound, Fenstanton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, CB23 4LU
ONSITE FACILITIES: Shell, Select (forecourt) Deli by Shell (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), Travelodge (Book Room)
LITTLE CHEF NOW: Derelict
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online.
History[]
The Little Chef at Huntingdon first opened in 1989 on what used to be the A604 between Cambridge and Huntingdon. It opened alongside a filling station and a Travelodge hotel and was housed in a building with a pitched roof and double front.
Following the opening of the M1-A1 link road (Catthorpe to Huntingdon) in 1994, the A604 between Cambridge and Huntingdon was reclassified as the A14. This was also the case with the A45 between Cambridge and Felixstowe, which was also renumbered as the A14.
The restaurant signage was later branded blue by Forte in an attempt to attract more formal diners in the evening. When Granada took over they reverted the branding back to a red colour scheme, but they kept the furniture and introduced a Burger King to the site
The building was severely damaged by a fire on 31 July 1996, and reopened in a new building at the end of the year. A picture of the aftermath of the fire is available on Motorway Services Online.
In 2006, Huntingdon received a Coffee Tempo!. This was later converted into a Little Chef Express in 2012.
Following the takeover of the Little Chef brand by Euro Garages in 2017, the Little Chef at Huntingdon 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 the Summer of 2018 to become a Burger King, Subway and Greggs combination site.
Following the opening of the Huntingdon Southern Bypass in 2019, which was built as part of the wider A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, the former A14 was reclassified as the A1307. As a result of the new bypass, the services experienced a significant loss in trade which consequently led to the closure of the Subway and Greggs in early 2020. The Burger King then closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. The building was put up for let in 2023; however, it was badly damaged in a fire on the 27th August 2024, leaving the building as charred shell of what it was.
Despite receiving less trade than before, the Shell and Travelodge still continue to operate today.
Gallery[]
