The Micheldever branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the eastbound side of the A303 near Popham, Hampshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A303 Eastbound, Popham, Basingstoke, Hampshire, SO21 3BE
ONSITE FACILITIES: Esso, Subway (forecourt), Greggs (forecourt), Starbucks on the Go (forecourt), Spar (forecourt), Starbucks
History[]
The Little Chef first opened its doors in 1986/87, alongside a filling station at a small service area on the eastbound side of the A303 just outside of Popham. The restaurant was originally known as the Coxford Down branch, and it was the most easterly Little Chef on the A303 - having been located only half a mile away from the road's eastern terminus at the Popham Interchange.
The A303 is a major route which runs from the M3 at the Popham Interchange to Devon, where the road continues as the A30 towards Honiton and Exeter. It feeds many towns, intersects with many routes to the west, and is often used by holidaymakers travelling to and from Devon and Cornwall. Therefore, building a Little Chef here was ideal. Forte sure bagged a goodie!
When the Little Chef opened, there was no nearby restaurant on the opposite carriageway to serve westbound traffic. In the 1990s, the decision was made to provide westbound travellers with a Little Chef and in 1995, the Popham branch opened its doors. It was a far larger site than Coxford Down, so much so it was one of the few restaurants which gained a Burger King.
In 1998/99, the restaurant name changed from Coxford Down to Micheldever. It is unknown why this happened, especially so as the village of Micheldever is located a full 6 miles to the south.
In 2004/05, then owners, Permira, had announced the closure of 131 Little Chef sites up and down the country and Micheldever was unfortunately on the list. It didn't lay empty for long though as it soon became the Popham Diner, an independent which retained many features of the Little Chef it once was.
In early 2019, the Popham Diner closed. Euro Garages took over the site and demolished the building to build a new Starbucks Drive Thru.
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