Forton Services Tower

I love Forton/Lancaster Services, always have done ever since I first saw it as a child on journeys to and from days out in the Lake District.

I had a meeting there today with Christian who, it must be said, is even more passionate (and knowledgeable) about the place.

We met in the big open cafeteria under the tower, and even now, 47 years after it opened and with all the changes and horrible additions it has a style and ambition about it that no service station built now would ever have.

It embodies the 1960s optimism and excitement about the future and the role motorways would play in taking us to that future. Christian told me that he remembered coming to dine out in the restaurant as a child and not just on his family journeys between Blackburn (where his grandparents lived) and Kendal.

I was shocked to hear that it's not listed and relieved to hear that campaigns are underway to get it listed. I'd love to get up into the now closed tower restaurant which retains some of its original styling and features.