The Kentford South branch was a former Little Chef located on the westbound side of the A14 near Kentford, Suffolk.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A14 Westbound, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7PZ
ONSITE FACILITIES: None
LITTLE CHEF NOW: Derelict
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
Opening in July 1979, Kentford South was built as one half of a dual sided Little Chef site on the A45 Kentford Bypass, with Kentford North on the eastbound side making up the other half. The restaurants replaced the original Kentford branch, located on the original alignment of the A45 (now B1506), which closed by 1976 after it was bypassed by the new A45. Both restaurants were built alongside BP filling stations and were housed inside of rectangular buildings, although Kentford South was slightly larger than Kentford North.
Following the opening of the M1-A1 link road section of the A14 (Catthorpe to Huntingdon) in 1994, the A45 between Cambridge and Felixstowe was re-numbered the A14.
Compared to other service stations on the A14, Kentford Services benefited from a more formalised layout, with its long slip roads, large car parks and landscaped surroundings. At one point, a flower display reading LITTLE CHEF was planted on the embankment of the eastbound services.
In July 1997, the BP filling stations on each side had closed. This was most likely due to the close proximity of the nearby Newmarket Services a few miles to the west, which not only served the A14 but the A11 as well. Although the filling station canopies were demolished, the shop buildings were left to stand, although these were boarded up.
In 2004, the Little Chefs on both sides of the Kentford Services had ceased trading, following the cull of 131 Little Chef restaurants by then owners, Permira, nationwide.
In 2007, the derelict filling station shop buildings on each side were demolished; however, the former Little Chef buildings were retained.
Unlike the eastbound Little Chef, which was vandalised shortly after it closed and left in a state of disrepair, the Little Chef at Kentford South still stands in a moderately good condition. The closed restaurant still sports furniture, curtains and lampshades from the restaurant's operation, alongside menus, kitchen equipment and even documentation in the manager's office, such as staff rotas.
As of 2025, nothing has ever replaced the Little Chef at Kentford South, although the site was previously listed by Ashwell Rogers. The overgrown state of the services, coupled with the slip roads to and from the A14 falling short of modern standards, means that the services would be highly unlikely to reopen in the near future.
Gallery[]
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