| Opened : 1971 Original owner: Kenning Motor Group Latter owner: Pavillion(Formerly Rank) Even Latter owner: Granada Current Owner: First Original Name: Anderton Services Later name: Rivington Services |
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Trivia:
Sold off by Granada as part of the agreement they made when they purchased Pavillion. Granada sold “Rivington” (Bolton West) and Magor for 8.3 Million pounds.
After the sale, a Husband and wife team who worked at Magor then moved to run this site.
First invested 1.2 Million after aquiring the site to build a new hotel, and renamed the site “Bolton West”
This MSA must have had the most changes in ownership of any MSA (see header above) It has also had 3 names- a record as far as we know (not including cases where names have reverted back to the original name)
Peter Kay filmed a spoof Docusoap about a MSA here called “The Services”
Current:
Whenever I return home from Cumbria, I tend to stop here for a late breakfast. The Services here are medium sized, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it crowded. Decor looks a little dated, but the food, (well the all day breakfast) is great.
Picture:
 Anderton Service area whilst owned by Kenning. Thats Rivington Pike in the background. |
Thanks:
Carl Ryding for correcting the ownership details.
“J B” for the info about Peter Kay
Richard Tysoe for more info about Peter Kay
Visited during the summer. Now rebranded as Rivington Services and owned by Euro Garage (with a green eG logo). Whole area has been demolished and rebuilt with a subway, starbucks, Spar shop and Burger king. Being build at the same time was a travelodge (or similar)
Site clean and airy, feels more like a French/German MSA
I’ve used both north and southbound, and they are excellent. Clean, spacious and welcoming; the HGV diesel pumps are easy to get to (surprisingly difficult in some places!), and best of all, the prices in the Spar shops aren’t jacked up to ridiculous levels.
It doesn’t get 5 stars from me YET, until they finish off the shambles that is the northbound truck park. Unlit, a fair trek from the building, and sporting non-existent surfacing and tank-trap sized potholes. Hopefully they’ll finish it, and it’ll be 5 stars from me!
If you travel from Chesterfield to Blackpool via the southern part of the Manchester ring road (M60 etc) as I do, then this is the only services you will see for the whole journey. It used to be ok when it was the old building, but since Euro Garages took over it’s just AWFUL!
The new buildings are like a second rate aircraft hanger, noisy, cold and uninviting. Even when the place is empty the sound from the fruit machines echoes around the massive unpartitioned space. You certainly couldn’t take a restful break from driving there.
The Burker King and Starbucks always seem to be closed whenever I visit. I’m told Starbucks closes at 8.30pm, which seems ridiculously early, especially when yopu consider this is teh only MSA between the north west and Manchester. There is nowhere at all on the entire site to get a decent meal. You either have to settle for a cold pasty out of the Spar shop or pay £5 for a sandwich in Subway. When I last went in there at 9pm on Sunday only the Subway and Spar shop were open and I couldn’t even get a cup of coffee.
I was forced to drive tired, hungry and thirsty for nearly a hundred miles home! People are always going on about not driving tired, but when an MSA is as poor as Euro Garages there really is not much of an alternative.
I won’t even bother pulling in next time.