Blue Boar

Blue Boar
2 more photos in the gallery
Locations:	up to 4
Introduced:	1959
Removed:	1995
Predecessors:	none
Successors:	RoadChef

Blue Boar owned the first service area at Watford Gap on the M1. They were offered it as compensation for the reduced traffic on the A45, where they were thought to have ran a petrol station in Dunchurch, which was bypassed by the new motorway. The company was named after the lake behind that petrol station, where a local legend says that a blue boar lived during the time of Robin Hood.

At the time, Watford Gap became popular and famous amongst travellers and party-goers. It is still known nationally and nostalgically as 'The Blue Boar'. Until 1965 it featured a waitress restaurant, this was scrapped in favour for a self-service one.

In 1995 Blue Boar sold their business to RoadChef, who later bought Take a Break, as part of their plans to enlarge their company and become 'the UK's fastest growing motorway services operator'. RoadChef have since refurbished all of Blue Boar's sites.

There is still one Blue Boar service area, but it's a service station on the A45 at a junction called Blue Boar. It's not clear whether this was related to the operator Blue Boar.

Locations

The following services were owned by Blue Boar:

• Annandale Water (A74(M))
• Northampton (M1)
• Stafford (South) (M6) (southbound only)
• Watford Gap (M1)