The Stowmarket branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the westbound side of the A14 near Stowmarket, Suffolk.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: Tot Hill, Haughley, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 3PY
ONSITE FACILITIES: Travelodge (Book Room), Taylor Commercial
LITTLE CHEF NOW: Empty
History[]
Opened in 1985/86, Stowmarket Little Chef served the westbound side of the A45 (now A14) between Ipswich and Cambridge. From the kickoff, it had a neighbouring filling station and, in 1989, was joined by a Forte Travelodge. The services operated in tandem with an eastbound-only service station located roughly a mile to the east of the site. In 1994, the A45 between Cambridge and Felixstowe was re-numbered the A14 following the opening of the M1-A1 link road (Catthorpe to Huntingdon).
The Little Chef was located on a section of the A14 known as the Haughley Bends, which was known for its sharp, twisty bends and included an at-grade junction providing access to the nearby villages of Haughley and Harleston. Given its poor accident record, it was announced that a new 2.3 mile bypass to the south of the Haughley Bends would be constructed to improve safety. The scheme was given the go-ahead in 2007 and construction was completed by 2008. As part of the construction works, a new dumbbell junction providing access to Haughley and Stowmarket was built approximately half a mile to the east of the Little Chef. In addition, the former eastbound carriageway of the former A14 was converted into a footpath and cycle route, whilst the former westbound carriageway was retained, becoming a single carriageway road continuing to provide access to Haughley and Harleston, as well as Bacton and Wetherden.
Following the opening of the new A14 alignment, there was a significant loss in traffic passing the services. Consequently, the filling station closed and became a commercial repair centre. In a bid to remain open, signs providing travellers directions to the Little Chef and Travelodge were erected at the new dumbbell junction to the east.
Whilst the Little Chef managed to survive for a few years following the upgrade works, it finally ceased trading in September 2012, therefore leaving the Travelodge to soldier on alone.
In 2014, planning permission for the conversion of the Little Chef building into a church was granted by Mid Suffolk Council; however, these plans never materialised.
Rarely, but surprisingly, the restaurant's external signage still remains as of today, although the Fat Charlie signs on both sides of the building, which have been used since the restaurant first opened, have been removed - one sign was removed shortly after closure, whilst the other sign on the entrance side of the building was removed about ten years later. The building had probably kept its signage to give travellers proof that the building once traded as a Little Chef. Even the lampposts still remain at the entrance in the car park, including the 'minimilk' closest to Tot Hill which has been in a state of disrepair since the 2010s.
In 2023, a video of the Stowmarket Little Chef was uploaded to YouTube. The video can be viewed here.
In Autumn 2024, Travelodge re-purposed the building as a maintenance store, stripping the building of its interior.
As of January 2025, despite the Little Chef now being closed, the nearby junction at the Tot Hill roundabout has a flag sign which still mentions Little Chef, therefore making it rather confusing to travellers.
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