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|Name = Skeeby |
|Name = Skeeby |
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|Year Opened = 1972-76 |
|Year Opened = 1972-76 |
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| − | |Year Closed = |
+ | |Year Closed = 2017 |
|Name of road = A1 |
|Name of road = A1 |
||
|Name of village/town = Skeeby, Richmond |
|Name of village/town = Skeeby, Richmond |
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| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
|Name of county = North Yorkshire |
|Name of county = North Yorkshire |
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|image = Skeeby_little_chef.jpg}} |
|image = Skeeby_little_chef.jpg}} |
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| − | The '''Skeeby '''branch |
+ | The '''Skeeby '''branch was a Little Chef restaurant located on the A1 near the small village of Skeeby, North Yorkshire. |
==Address and Onsite Information== |
==Address and Onsite Information== |
||
| − | '''ADDRESS: '''A1 |
+ | '''ADDRESS: '''A1 Northbound, Skeeby, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 5EQ |
| − | '''ONSITE FACILITIES: ''' |
+ | '''ONSITE FACILITIES: '''Travelodge ([https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/221/Scotch-Corner-Skeeby-hotel Book Room]) |
| + | |||
| + | For more information, visit [https://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/High_Brough_Moor Motorway Services Online] |
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==History== |
==History== |
||
| − | Life at Skeeby started in the 1960s when an independent, known as the Clock Cafe opened on site |
+ | Life at Skeeby started in the 1960s when an independent, known as the Clock Cafe, opened on site. The cafe sat about 1 mile south of the famous Scotch Corner junction, a busy intersection serving two roads (A1 and A66) heading towards Scotland. |
| − | |||
| ⚫ | In the early-mid 1970s, Forte, along with many other transport cafes, bought the Clock Cafe and replaced it with a Little Chef restaurant as part of their plans to expand the chain rapidly across the UK. In order to save money and time, Forte decided to house the new Little Chef inside of the original Clock Cafe building. |
||
| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | In the early-mid 1970s, Forte, along with many other transport cafes, bought the Clock Cafe and replaced it with a Little Chef restaurant as part of their plans to expand the chain rapidly across the UK. In order to save money and time, Forte decided to house the new Little Chef inside of the original Clock Cafe building. However, the restaurant was later rebuilt in a much more modern building, which still exists today. |
||
| − | Just north of the Little Chef was the large Scotch Corner service station, operated by service station giant, Moto. Scotch Corner services was a site which housed more facilities than Skeeby services, therefore it was likely that travellers would stop here instead of the Little Chef site in order to benefit from more options. However, seeming that the Little Chef site came before Scotch Corner for those travelling northbound, it was likely that the Little Chef attracted travellers to the site before reaching Scotch Corner, therefore this was a good thing as this meant that the site received a decent amount of custom rather than giving it away to Scotch Corner. |
||
| + | [[File:Skeeby MK1.png|left|thumb|314x314px|The original Little Chef building, before it was later rebuilt]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | Owing to its prime location beside the busy A1, Forte wasted no time in adding a Little Chef Coffee stop to the building in the early 90s, although this was later removed. |
||
| ⚫ | In late 2009, [[Rainton North]] Little Chef (located 20 miles south) closed. This left Little Chef with unused Coffee Tempo equipment and signage. Rather than letting it go to waste, the equipment was transferred to Skeeby and a new Coffee Tempo outlet opened there instead. However, this proved to be unpopular and was |
||
| + | Around 1997, another Little Chef had opened up shop at the nearby Scotch Corner Services, located a mile north of Skeeby Little Chef. Given the plentiful choice of facilities at Scotch Corner Services, as well as it being accessible to all traffic on two major routes (the A1 and A66), it was likely that the Little Chef here would be a more popular site than Skeeby. However, the restaurant at Scotch Corner ceased trading by 2008, as part of Moto's restructuring. This left Skeeby as the sole Little Chef trading in the area. |
||
| − | The Little Chef is still operating today. However, the future of the Skeeby branch is currently unknown. |
||
| ⚫ | In late 2009, [[Rainton North]] Little Chef (located 20 miles south) closed. This left Little Chef with unused Coffee Tempo equipment and signage. Rather than letting it go to waste, the equipment was transferred to Skeeby and a new Coffee Tempo outlet opened there instead. However, this proved to be unpopular and was consequently gone by 2011. |
||
| − | In 2012, it was announced that the A1 between Leeming Bar and Barton (the section that the Little Chef stands on) would be upgraded to a new three laned motorway. Work on the new road started in 2014 and should be completed by 2017. After seeing what happened to other Little Chefs (such as [[Rainton North]] and [[Rainton South]]) which have closed due to motorway upgrades, there is a possibility that the Little Chef at Skeeby may close when the new motorway upgrade is completed. However, in the current plans, the A1 Northbound will be converted into a local access road, which should mean the Little Chef survives (albeit off of the mainline). |
||
| + | In 2012, it was announced that the A1 between Leeming Bar and Barton (the section that the Little Chef stands on) would be upgraded to a new three laned motorway. Work on the new road started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. As a result, a huge amount of traffic was taken away from the Little Chef, despite still being accessible via a local access road. However, this would not be the strict cause for the demise of the restaurant as in the same year, Euro Garages purchased the chain and over the next year, closed all of the Little Chef restaurants nationwide. Skeeby closed in May 2017 and as of today, nothing has ever replaced the restaurant, leaving it as an abandoned eyesore next to the surviving Travelodge hotel. |
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| − | In April 2016, the nearby Shell filling station closed down due to the upcoming movement of traffic from the old A1 northbound to the new road. However, the Little Chef and Travelodge still soldier on despite changes, although there is quite a detour from the motorway to the restaurant. |
||
| − | <gallery> |
+ | <gallery widths="185"> |
| − | 2015-11- |
+ | 2015-11-12 07-47-13.jpg|Skeeby Interior |
| + | 20160213 145701.jpg|The Little Chef in 2016 |
||
| + | Skeeby Interior 2020.jpg|The interior of the abandoned Skeeby Little Chef in 2020 |
||
| + | Skeeby 2020 1.jpg|The interior of the abandoned Skeeby Little Chef in 2020 |
||
| + | Skeeby 2020 2.jpg|Skeeby Little Chef in 2020, still abandoned |
||
| + | Skeeby_2008.PNG|Google StreetView in 2008 |
||
| + | Skeeby_2009.PNG|Google StreetView in 2009 |
||
| + | Skeeby_2011.PNG|Google StreetView in 2011 |
||
| + | Skeeby_2015.PNG|Google StreetView in 2015 |
||
</gallery> |
</gallery> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:Little Chefs on the A1]] |
[[Category:Little Chefs on the A1]] |
||
[[Category:Current Travelodge Sites]] |
[[Category:Current Travelodge Sites]] |
||
[[Category:Former Coffee Tempo! Sites]] |
[[Category:Former Coffee Tempo! Sites]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | [[Category:2017 Closures]] |
||
| + | [[Category:1972-76 Openings]] |
||
Revision as of 11:20, 16 May 2021
The Skeeby branch was a Little Chef restaurant located on the A1 near the small village of Skeeby, North Yorkshire.
Address and Onsite Information
ADDRESS: A1 Northbound, Skeeby, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 5EQ
ONSITE FACILITIES: Travelodge (Book Room)
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History
Life at Skeeby started in the 1960s when an independent, known as the Clock Cafe, opened on site. The cafe sat about 1 mile south of the famous Scotch Corner junction, a busy intersection serving two roads (A1 and A66) heading towards Scotland.
In the early-mid 1970s, Forte, along with many other transport cafes, bought the Clock Cafe and replaced it with a Little Chef restaurant as part of their plans to expand the chain rapidly across the UK. In order to save money and time, Forte decided to house the new Little Chef inside of the original Clock Cafe building. However, the restaurant was later rebuilt in a much more modern building, which still exists today.
The original Little Chef building, before it was later rebuilt
In 1988, the site saw the addition of a Little Chef Lodge hotel in order to provide accommodation for tired travellers. This was later rebranded as Travelodge in 1989.
Owing to its prime location beside the busy A1, Forte wasted no time in adding a Little Chef Coffee stop to the building in the early 90s, although this was later removed.
Around 1997, another Little Chef had opened up shop at the nearby Scotch Corner Services, located a mile north of Skeeby Little Chef. Given the plentiful choice of facilities at Scotch Corner Services, as well as it being accessible to all traffic on two major routes (the A1 and A66), it was likely that the Little Chef here would be a more popular site than Skeeby. However, the restaurant at Scotch Corner ceased trading by 2008, as part of Moto's restructuring. This left Skeeby as the sole Little Chef trading in the area.
In late 2009, Rainton North Little Chef (located 20 miles south) closed. This left Little Chef with unused Coffee Tempo equipment and signage. Rather than letting it go to waste, the equipment was transferred to Skeeby and a new Coffee Tempo outlet opened there instead. However, this proved to be unpopular and was consequently gone by 2011.
In 2012, it was announced that the A1 between Leeming Bar and Barton (the section that the Little Chef stands on) would be upgraded to a new three laned motorway. Work on the new road started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. As a result, a huge amount of traffic was taken away from the Little Chef, despite still being accessible via a local access road. However, this would not be the strict cause for the demise of the restaurant as in the same year, Euro Garages purchased the chain and over the next year, closed all of the Little Chef restaurants nationwide. Skeeby closed in May 2017 and as of today, nothing has ever replaced the restaurant, leaving it as an abandoned eyesore next to the surviving Travelodge hotel.
