Please do not mention that channel on my channel. If in any doubt, kindly see these videos: ua-cam.com/video/ILOrE0DaBDo/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/iaZnZutbXPk/v-deo.html I see no amusement in a story deplicting a 3 year old being m*rdered, dr*gged, put in a bin-bag and thrown out in the trash. DISCUSTING. This person has also appeared in our national newspapers as a result of my video here: ua-cam.com/video/G49HsVD0gcw/v-deo.html
@@mrmattandmrchay Thank's for the links and sorry for having mentioned this criminal. Yes he's a criminal and I'd like him to get arrested so bad... But to still be able to surf lifts here on my side in France. Having him appear in newspapers isn't good news to me as it could lead soon or later to the EU making new laws against lift surfing or the sale of lift keys or anything else that could make it even more difficult. I admit that I surf lifts but unlike some other lift surfers I don't upload videos of it anywhere and I don't try to convince anyone to do the same. Also I take care of the safety of the lift and of its users.
@@psirvent8 I have little interest in adults who surf lifts. It's up to them, doesn't bother me. But when an adult intices, meets up with, then TAKES kids lift surfing, then I find out that his person is ADVISING kids on how to do the same, then I had to do something. Did you see that 12 year old in my video? See 9:44 - ua-cam.com/video/G49HsVD0gcw/v-deo.html Anyway, thanks very much for the support! :)
@@mrmattandmrchay Yes I have seen the 12 yo in your video as I had watched this video when it came out. Taking kids lift surfing is impossible to me anyways since I simply don't know any but even if I knew some kids out there I would NEVER even try to initiate them in lift surfing, rest assured.
Built in the days when you stopped at the motorway services and got a "meal", and took a break from driving. (So the 30 seconds going up the stairs wasn't really a delay) Today they want you to be in and out as quick as possible (minus loadsa cash), having had a big enough bucket of coffee/coke that you are required to stop at the next services of the same chain to empty one tank and buy a new bucket to drink. Driving London-Northern Scotland regularly in the early 2000s, those breaks at Little Chefs, and Red Hens for freshly made food were far more pleasant than today's offerings of Burger King and Starbucks.
Love the sheer optimism of these 60s and 70s monolithic structures, when motorways were seen as magic carpet rides for the common man, not the grim necessity of today. Thanks for the post.
Not sure it was that optimistic, back in the 70s motorways were magic carpets if you could afford a Jag or a Rover 3.5 litre. Most people were grinding in the slow lane in their Mini or Morris minor, that's if they could afford a car at all.
@@TerryClarkAccordioncrazy actually if you ever speak to or spoken to truckers who actually drove shap summit regularly, the motorways even in those old trucks were a god send compared to the A6 back then. So even if you were trundling in your Mini or Minor, it would have been vastly better with a straight piece of road than the hills, bends and the queue of slow trucks that came with it. If you think about it now, a truck can get from London to Glasgow in a single shift, that wasn't possible before motorways. Although they are clogged up during the rush hours and daytime, motorways are the life blood of goods transport during the night.
Yeah these bold structures make me feel the belief in a better future that we used to have. Built to a high standard by the look of it - I thought there'd be signs of water coming through that 70s flat roof.
The tower was open in the 2000s, as some have stated it was the HGV driver's cafe , The CEO of Moto was a very good friend of mine and the decision was made to close it because it needed a major upgrade and the expected return didn't warrant the investment....
Very interesting - sometimes this is the only way to find more info, other than what's already on the web - finding out from real people! Thanks for the comment
You beat me to it, although I worked at Burger King in 1992/93. I remember sitting having my staff meal in there most days over a year. It was a grand view, but my overriding memory of the place was the smell. It stank. Smoking indoors was no problem back then and the majority of the staff smoked up there after a meal. That along with the stale fat smell could put you right off your meal. Great staff and great memories though
This tower was still in use I the early 2000s. I used to work there and would deliver stores supplies to the truckers cafe up there. The lovely ladies who worked the kitchen would knock us up a breakfast. Great video brought back some memories 😁
That is amazing. Been closed 42 years now. I’m always worried that someone is either going to catch you up there or lock the doors and you’ll be there for ever! Thank you for this video from a time when motorway driving was an occasion
Love it! I regularly drive past and occasionally stop at both Hilton Park and Lancaster (Forton) services. I always tried the lift button for the upper restaurant at Forton but it never worked, until one day in 2008 when IT DID! I lucked out and got not only into the tower restaurant, which was in use as a store room, but also onto the roof itself overlooking the M6 and Lancashire countryside. The views here really are nice - Forest of Bowland to the east and Morecambe Bay to the west. Imagine sitting down to lunch here back in the 1960s, watching a parade of classic British cars wizzing past. Ah, the nostalgia.
I've gone past this place countless times and always wondered what it was like inside! Thank you for an awesome tour! I really love the various bits of 60s switchgear all through the tower, it's like a museum of old and very cool stuff!
Theirs just something about these videos that makes them amazing, the sound, the editing, the quality I cant stop watching them! Love the content, don't ever stop. Cant wait for part 2
Thank you for filming this. Lovely building. Interesting to see how, when motorways were still in their infancy, the designers thought of service stations as somewhere you'd spend a good bit of time, having a proper meal in a restaurant. I'm not sure where we went wrong! This sort of place would have thrived in France. At the motorway services there, truckers and other motorists, will sit down in cafes for a proper meal and a glass of local cider/wine.
It ended up as a separate truck drivers restaurant when it was a pavilion (part of the rank group I think) service area. I passed my class 1 hgv license in 1988 and it was operating then and a few years after.
For one that started with Exploring with Josh channel, this channel is a treat. No youngsters blabbering over the footage and no weird jump cuts in the middle of a zen moment. Great stuff
your videos are mesmerizing. the combination of atmosphere, the exploration of vintage buildings and their architecture, and especially the old technology and the way you look at the kinds of details that most people ignore. i was the kind of kid always asking "what's this for" to a fault, and this channel scratches that itch so well, lol.
Oh nice! Never heard my channel referred to as a 'channel that scratches an itch', but I like it!! Me too as a kid - I was always taking things apart because I wanted to know things that others didn't really give a stuff about!
Fantastic video showing how Urbex should be done. Attention to detail and the floor-plan is the icing on the cake. It would help if everyone did that sort of thing!
As an old school explorer of fifteen years who doesn’t really “do” UA-cam Urbex (save a few videos); I’ve always done forum reports and still do, I’m enjoying this so far.
A classic from the days when motorway travel was glamorous and they thought everyone would be going to the motorway services just for a day out 😂 I grew up going past the Forton (Lancaster) services every day and we always called it the airport.
It was certainly open in the mid 2000s as the drivers restaurant. If you filled up with 200ltrs of diesel you got a £5 voucher to spend in there. My wife and I used it on our way to France one year using my vouchers.
Hilton Park was a feature of my holidays in the 1970's. It was at the point where we needed to stop. So sad when I stop there now and see the tower. I didn't realise it had been closed so long.
Brilliant video. There are little elements here and there that to me suggest it was definitely used into the early 90s, like the soap and towel dispensers in the kitchen area that are *definitely* not from the 80s but definitely are from the early to mid 90s. I suspect after the 80s it might have been a completely separate staff area with its own kitchen back when companies used to look after people a bit more like that? That ladder I imagine has all been tarted up because it gets regularly used by the telcos I suppose. Nice find though, who needs the 100th window theory when you can just walk in through the front entrance?
@@stuartmcconnachie That said, you'd be amazed how many 'out of service' or mothballed places like this I used to do testing in as an electrician, this would sometimes include labelling up circuits etc... that I knew would never be used again. This was often because half a building was still in use, and they didn't dare touch the other half because of either tenancy requirements or asbestos etc... A prime example was large branches of banks, in 70s shopping precincts, where the top 2 floors which would once have been a regional office, processing cheques, mortgage applications etc... and/or even have a small canteen, were no longer used due to centralisation and erosion of staff provisions.
Interresting building and architecture. That spiral staircase is quite nice. The asbestos flooring is a typical product of the era, it’s vinyl but “enhanced” with asbestos fibres to make it hard wearing. That stuff is a pain to remove if it is glued stuck, it can be flaky and brittle. My dad had to remove that stuff once when we cleaned up the house of an old uncle that had passed away. We where not aware of it until the house inspector of the rental agency told us it was. Oops….
Very interesting to see what it's like inside. Now the new lift has taken over and doesn't require access to the motor room to maintain (being a MRL) the old lift can simply be switched off and the motor room locked and left. At least that way everything inside is preserved even if it is in a non working state.
Interesting video. So as I understand it, Hilton Park Services is open today northbound and southbound and run by Moto. And as you explained, the tower part is closed now, and is a monument to past ideas about how services should look and what the public wanted. Stairs and endless spirals of stairs seem unpopular these days. Most (all) services are built on ground level.
Agreed. When motorway services are all such bland places, it seems a shame that the few that have genuinely interesting features have abandoned them in favour of further blandness. If that place had a Costa in it (and was on a stretch of the M6 I ever used, which to be fair it isn’t) I’d probably be looking for a way to break my journey there instead of the services before or after it - bit like I now do with Gloucester whenever I’m headed for Bristol.
I can remember it when I stopped as a truck driver for my breaks 👍🏻 They even had a pool table lol 😆 It was quite good as was Lancaster service back in the day 👍🏻
You can tell it was open in the 2000s from the dark grey paint they started to paint everything with since then, the switch labeling and especially the very modern detergent dispenser for the dishwasher.
That place had to have been in use later than the early 80's....There are labels on those switches in the kitchen that weren't used utill at least the late 90's and the tile pattern and colors in the restaurant are definitely not from the 70s when it was built...more like 90s as well...Very cool video though...I enjoyed it...Great filming
Very nice video! Feels like walking in a game with the little map hehe. I live in Belgium so i don't know the building, but love the typical 70s architecture. It's a shame that they abondoned it after only 1 year of service. I'm also new to your channel, let's have a look at your other vids. Cheers!
What a wonderfull look back in time, I would imagine the veiws to the West would have been much better 40 years back before the trees matured to the height they are now - Keep up these great videos please.
The labels on the switches at 9:00 look like they were printed on a modern labelmaker to me, so must date from after the tower closed... that's a bit mysterious. There are examples of contemporaneous labels at 10:50. Thanks so much for documenting this, very jealous that you managed to get up there!
Probably some supplies are kept running, to keep the building from freezing, and likely there are still people using the lower sections, so need power.
I noticed the same thing, items like the smoke/heat detectors in the ceiling look relatively new, the plastic usually deteriorates to a tan/yellow color after a few years even without UV exposure while these are still white.
@@abpsd73 It looks like a newish apollo XP95 fire system, system was probably replaced for lower floors a few years back so the upper closed levels will have been done.
This looks like its out of a horror game yet feels quite relaxing, I was at this service station yesterday and I think most people forget that the tower exists once they step inside…
As a kid when the motorways were new in the sixties,stopping at the services for sausage and chips was a treat. Remember a new initiative in the mud to late eighties,one group, can't remember which, cooked fresh to order on a gas BBQ, the gammon was superb, before long though they cooked in batches and left the meat and fish etc under hot lamps which dried it up, I asked the manager why the change, he said cooking to order didn't work at busy times and if a coach load came in shame. Started work after Polytechnic in 79, remember having a bite at Little chefs on the M1 that still had the open griddle and American style bar stools, happy days and the motorway wasn't so busy.
I think there was probably more of a belief that people would actually enjoy looking at the motorway in the past... a lot of early services had bridge restaurants over the motorway with large windows.
Yep, it might be exactly that. But since then motorway services are now known for their extortionate prices. Although I must admit, they have improved slightly over the past 10 years (a little!)
I can’t believe that closed so long ago. There are items in there that look so much newer. There is some labelling on switches in the kitchen area (‘Fat Fryer’ etc) which are quite a modern type.
Great video and brought back some good and some bad memory’s,the plumbing company I work for used to have a maintenance contract with Moto and we used to work there a bit,I remember when this abandoned restaurant was a truckers cafe in the late 80’s early 90’s and we used to go up there to have brews!!,also I remember being sent many a time to unblock the urinals!!!! Grim!!!!, keep up the good work 🤟
It's crazy such cool building sits abandoned. You'd think the space could be changed into offices or something. With a modern "open" office layout, the white noise from traffic would be an asset!
My dad will potentially remember this tower from the 70s being born in Birmingham. Saw an old gent 1102 fire alarm call point without the hammer, which was most probably stolen at somepoint,
some bits of it were used into the 1990s (as a restaurant for truckers, and a storage space) the electric safety inspections are recent due to the rest of the building still being active (and power being supplied to the roofspace for mobile phone base stations)
Its a shame they cant refurbish these places or even try to get them as listed building. They have that very 70s and 80s Retro vibe to them that is well worth protecting and refurbishing into something that could be of use for people again on the motorway.
It wouldn't take much to bring that up to spec and reopen it. Worst bit is bringing it up to fire regs and electrical regs. Would be ideal for the truck drivers if it was refurbished with modern facilities
I absolutely love the innovative ways you come up with getting the camera to those 'hard to reach places'! What an interesting place, those fan starters certainly look their age, but some of the other isolators look a bit more modern. Did this area get used briefly in more recent years?
I thought that, also some of the soap dispensers especially the washing up / bucket doser are definitely early 90s. I think it, or parts of it, was a staff area from the 80s to 90s, which seems anachronistic when you (before McDonalds and the like took over the actual food part of a service station) had a huge kitchen downstairs, but years ago no doubt better companies still ran completely separate staff areas with their own catering. I mean I used to work in a supermarket in the early 90s that had a large cafe, but they still had a completely separate and fully equipped kitchen and for the staff rest room.
The big fuse board in the kitchen has a 2022 due date for the next inspection so some of this is certainly active! The last inspection was in 2021 according to the sticker.
Excellent video! I really like that floor map you made. So, do the main lifts not go up the tower? Looks like they just take you to a landing between 2 sets of stairs. Quite an absurd way to do it I think, but I guess DDA wasn’t really considered so much back then lol! It’s really interesting seeing how the tower is almost frozen in time. I wonder why it’s in such bad condition though? Seems like they went around scrapping much of the interior for some reason. I suppose they may have sold all the kitchen appliances ect if they’re worth anything. Also, that modern lift looks absolutely hideous! Horrible bulky logic cabinet slapped against the wall. I can only assume it’s so bad looking because it doesn’t matter since nobody will see it, but I wouldn’t be surprised it that’s just how it always looks and they think nothing of it. I like how the call button is suitable for DDA requirements despite being on a stairs lobby lol!
I was watching the lift lobby and thinking the very same. No DDA type considerations. Also, so little space for flow in and out of the restaurant area. Cool idea, but design and execution of the experience clearly doomed it. With such a small central core, I’m imagining the same fate met Lancaster.
I can just imagine another blogger outside whilst you were in there, filming a 'mysterious ghostly figure' seen through the widow of an abandoned mall...
such a shame these old lifts cant run one more time.. would love to see that place in a operating state again someday but its been so long it will be torn down most likely soon? :( shame. such a unique building.
Excellent video! I really like that floor map you made. So, do the main lifts not go up the tower? Looks like they just take you to a landing between 2 sets of stairs. Quite an absurd way to do it I think, but I guess DDA wasn’t really considered so much back then lol! It’s really interesting seeing how the tower is almost frozen in time. I wonder why it’s in such bad condition though?
If I remember right the truck drivers used to top bit more than the general drivers. I can remember it still being open around 88 as we were in there after going to Birmingham for a Christmas party and called in there for food on the way back as we only lived a few miles away from the services.
I actually remeber that service station as a kid going back to Liverpool from hastings, we had moved there In the early 80s and were always back amd forward, I remeber going across the bridge to the other side
I have just found your channel and really like it you put a lot of detail and attention to switchgear electrical items and retro things like that which I used to fit back in the day and then find very interesting great videos keep up the good work I have subscribed and will continue to watch your videos
Thanks very much ShornSparks! Appreciate the nice comment. I always think... if "I" don't enjoy watching it then noone else will. And being a perfectionist also helps! Thanks for subbing also. Matt
When these were built in the early 70s they were considered futuristic and 'swish' people would actually drive to them for a special meal out. A different time then hard to imagine now.
Why didn’t the passenger lifts go all the way up, like they did in Lancaster? Also, is the old Otis passenger lift still working? All the goods lift are derelict, right?
Just been watching another channel about motorways and along with yours I'm starting to get a headache which I seldom get,That constant background traffic
so is the old otis in the passenger lift set no longer working now? i've been to this services once in 2019 - it was working then, but there was a sign above the doors on G and 1 saying GOODS LIFT - very annoying as i wanted to ride it so much but i didn't want to risk there being an issue if spotted, so i didn't use it :( shame that it's not working now if thats how it is, i doubt it'll be back given how things went with the lifts there and only one having been replaced when it did. Can't wait for the next part of the video!
It's done well for a building left for so long. I imagine it's been looked after. No vandalism. It beggars belief that a building so big and dare I say posh is left to rot. Such a waste.
Yes, certainly. I've just added this to the video description as I've been asked this a few times. "You may notice the electrical distribution boards in the tower have recent 'tested' stickers on them. Even though the power is switched off in the tower, the electrical switch panels still have power coming into them. The tower is on top of the motorway services, which means that even switched off electrical panels must be maintained and tested on a regular basis, hence the stickers"
Probably as much because replacing old ones means it was easier to do a straight replacement, and leave workings at the same height. Could however be converted to a rest area for truckers. Once they pay for their parking for their required rest breaks, they can get access, with food and showers available.
I was hitching from Dover to Glasgow after hitching from Denmark & I got dropped off by a trucker at Hilton park services. I was exhausted & I crashed out on inside the tunnel of the walkway bridge that straddles the motorway. I got a good sleep & successfully made my way to Glasgow the next morning.
I wonder why Beno didn't record any video of this place as it reminds me a lot of Chatham's Tesco and car park.
Please do not mention that channel on my channel. If in any doubt, kindly see these videos: ua-cam.com/video/ILOrE0DaBDo/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/iaZnZutbXPk/v-deo.html
I see no amusement in a story deplicting a 3 year old being m*rdered, dr*gged, put in a bin-bag and thrown out in the trash. DISCUSTING. This person has also appeared in our national newspapers as a result of my video here: ua-cam.com/video/G49HsVD0gcw/v-deo.html
@@mrmattandmrchay Thank's for the links and sorry for having mentioned this criminal.
Yes he's a criminal and I'd like him to get arrested so bad...
But to still be able to surf lifts here on my side in France.
Having him appear in newspapers isn't good news to me as it could lead soon or later to the EU making new laws against lift surfing or the sale of lift keys or anything else that could make it even more difficult.
I admit that I surf lifts but unlike some other lift surfers I don't upload videos of it anywhere and I don't try to convince anyone to do the same.
Also I take care of the safety of the lift and of its users.
@@psirvent8 I have little interest in adults who surf lifts. It's up to them, doesn't bother me. But when an adult intices, meets up with, then TAKES kids lift surfing, then I find out that his person is ADVISING kids on how to do the same, then I had to do something. Did you see that 12 year old in my video? See 9:44 - ua-cam.com/video/G49HsVD0gcw/v-deo.html
Anyway, thanks very much for the support! :)
@@mrmattandmrchay Yes I have seen the 12 yo in your video as I had watched this video when it came out.
Taking kids lift surfing is impossible to me anyways since I simply don't know any but even if I knew some kids out there I would NEVER even try to initiate them in lift surfing, rest assured.
@@SunnyJulienDivine "This video is no longer available due to a privacy claim by a third party"
Built in the days when you stopped at the motorway services and got a "meal", and took a break from driving. (So the 30 seconds going up the stairs wasn't really a delay) Today they want you to be in and out as quick as possible (minus loadsa cash), having had a big enough bucket of coffee/coke that you are required to stop at the next services of the same chain to empty one tank and buy a new bucket to drink.
Driving London-Northern Scotland regularly in the early 2000s, those breaks at Little Chefs, and Red Hens for freshly made food were far more pleasant than today's offerings of Burger King and Starbucks.
Love the sheer optimism of these 60s and 70s monolithic structures, when motorways were seen as magic carpet rides for the common man, not the grim necessity of today. Thanks for the post.
Not sure it was that optimistic, back in the 70s motorways were magic carpets if you could afford a Jag or a Rover 3.5 litre. Most people were grinding in the slow lane in their Mini or Morris minor, that's if they could afford a car at all.
@@TerryClarkAccordioncrazy actually if you ever speak to or spoken to truckers who actually drove shap summit regularly, the motorways even in those old trucks were a god send compared to the A6 back then. So even if you were trundling in your Mini or Minor, it would have been vastly better with a straight piece of road than the hills, bends and the queue of slow trucks that came with it. If you think about it now, a truck can get from London to Glasgow in a single shift, that wasn't possible before motorways. Although they are clogged up during the rush hours and daytime, motorways are the life blood of goods transport during the night.
@terry Clark this country has let us all down - america,s lapdog , nothing Left worth saving now
Yeah these bold structures make me feel the belief in a better future that we used to have.
Built to a high standard by the look of it - I thought there'd be signs of water coming through that 70s flat roof.
You're a grim necessity.
The tower was open in the 2000s, as some have stated it was the HGV driver's cafe , The CEO of Moto was a very good friend of mine and the decision was made to close it because it needed a major upgrade and the expected return didn't warrant the investment....
Very interesting - sometimes this is the only way to find more info, other than what's already on the web - finding out from real people! Thanks for the comment
Could you have a word with your friend and tell him to reduce moto's prices. Their services are always stupidly expensive.
@@FannyLerouxTime you do know there's no legislation forcing you to buy?
No he's not. Why you lying?
I can confirm it was open in 93/94. I used to work in the Burger King and there was a truckers cafe and staff canteen in the tower.
You beat me to it, although I worked at Burger King in 1992/93. I remember sitting having my staff meal in there most days over a year. It was a grand view, but my overriding memory of the place was the smell. It stank. Smoking indoors was no problem back then and the majority of the staff smoked up there after a meal. That along with the stale fat smell could put you right off your meal. Great staff and great memories though
I'd of guessed that date by the 1990's colour scheme on those tiles- loving that colour combination though.
This tower was still in use I the early 2000s. I used to work there and would deliver stores supplies to the truckers cafe up there. The lovely ladies who worked the kitchen would knock us up a breakfast. Great video brought back some memories 😁
That is amazing. Been closed 42 years now. I’m always worried that someone is either going to catch you up there or lock the doors and you’ll be there for ever! Thank you for this video from a time when motorway driving was an occasion
Love it! I regularly drive past and occasionally stop at both Hilton Park and Lancaster (Forton) services. I always tried the lift button for the upper restaurant at Forton but it never worked, until one day in 2008 when IT DID! I lucked out and got not only into the tower restaurant, which was in use as a store room, but also onto the roof itself overlooking the M6 and Lancashire countryside. The views here really are nice - Forest of Bowland to the east and Morecambe Bay to the west. Imagine sitting down to lunch here back in the 1960s, watching a parade of classic British cars wizzing past. Ah, the nostalgia.
I've gone past this place countless times and always wondered what it was like inside! Thank you for an awesome tour! I really love the various bits of 60s switchgear all through the tower, it's like a museum of old and very cool stuff!
Theirs just something about these videos that makes them amazing, the sound, the editing, the quality I cant stop watching them! Love the content, don't ever stop. Cant wait for part 2
Thank you for filming this. Lovely building. Interesting to see how, when motorways were still in their infancy, the designers thought of service stations as somewhere you'd spend a good bit of time, having a proper meal in a restaurant. I'm not sure where we went wrong! This sort of place would have thrived in France. At the motorway services there, truckers and other motorists, will sit down in cafes for a proper meal and a glass of local cider/wine.
It's obviously kept in reasonable order. No dirty or broken windows. Looks pretty clean in general, no decay
It ended up as a separate truck drivers restaurant when it was a pavilion (part of the rank group I think) service area. I passed my class 1 hgv license in 1988 and it was operating then and a few years after.
They should bring it back for us truckers 😎
For one that started with Exploring with Josh channel, this channel is a treat. No youngsters blabbering over the footage and no weird jump cuts in the middle of a zen moment. Great stuff
your videos are mesmerizing. the combination of atmosphere, the exploration of vintage buildings and their architecture, and especially the old technology and the way you look at the kinds of details that most people ignore. i was the kind of kid always asking "what's this for" to a fault, and this channel scratches that itch so well, lol.
Oh nice! Never heard my channel referred to as a 'channel that scratches an itch', but I like it!!
Me too as a kid - I was always taking things apart because I wanted to know things that others didn't really give a stuff about!
Fantastic video showing how Urbex should be done. Attention to detail and the floor-plan is the icing on the cake. It would help if everyone did that sort of thing!
As an old school explorer of fifteen years who doesn’t really “do” UA-cam Urbex (save a few videos); I’ve always done forum reports and still do, I’m enjoying this so far.
A classic from the days when motorway travel was glamorous and they thought everyone would be going to the motorway services just for a day out 😂
I grew up going past the Forton (Lancaster) services every day and we always called it the airport.
Brilliant. I've been waiting for this one. I've watched that place go down the pan since my visits in the 70s and 80s!
It was certainly open in the mid 2000s as the drivers restaurant. If you filled up with 200ltrs of diesel you got a £5 voucher to spend in there. My wife and I used it on our way to France one year using my vouchers.
Some of the electrical accessories on the walls are certainly from a later era suggesting it was used later than thought.
It also looked too clean for being closed since the 80ties.
M&S Simply Food is surely more recent
The label maker decals at 9:00 and the computer printed signs with variable size fonts at 13:39 suggest 90’s at minimum.
Definitely open well past the 80s. As stated, it was the drivers restaurant well into the 90s at least.
Hilton Park was a feature of my holidays in the 1970's. It was at the point where we needed to stop. So sad when I stop there now and see the tower. I didn't realise it had been closed so long.
Brilliant video. There are little elements here and there that to me suggest it was definitely used into the early 90s, like the soap and towel dispensers in the kitchen area that are *definitely* not from the 80s but definitely are from the early to mid 90s. I suspect after the 80s it might have been a completely separate staff area with its own kitchen back when companies used to look after people a bit more like that? That ladder I imagine has all been tarted up because it gets regularly used by the telcos I suppose. Nice find though, who needs the 100th window theory when you can just walk in through the front entrance?
Also what look like modern printed “Dymo” labels on some of the electrical boxes, and not the old fashioned embossed ones from the 70s and 80s.
@@stuartmcconnachie That said, you'd be amazed how many 'out of service' or mothballed places like this I used to do testing in as an electrician, this would sometimes include labelling up circuits etc... that I knew would never be used again. This was often because half a building was still in use, and they didn't dare touch the other half because of either tenancy requirements or asbestos etc... A prime example was large branches of banks, in 70s shopping precincts, where the top 2 floors which would once have been a regional office, processing cheques, mortgage applications etc... and/or even have a small canteen, were no longer used due to centralisation and erosion of staff provisions.
@@stuartmcconnachie good points but I'm sure Dymo printing was going at least from the mid 70s
Interresting building and architecture. That spiral staircase is quite nice. The asbestos flooring is a typical product of the era, it’s vinyl but “enhanced” with asbestos fibres to make it hard wearing. That stuff is a pain to remove if it is glued stuck, it can be flaky and brittle. My dad had to remove that stuff once when we cleaned up the house of an old uncle that had passed away. We where not aware of it until the house inspector of the rental agency told us it was. Oops….
Dumb, let it stay
Looks like the architect must have watched the Jetsons a lot growing up. Just imagine how amazing it would look if the original height was allowed.
Absolutely! I do wonder if it would have been so wide had it been 4 floors higher.
What was the original height going to be
Very interesting to see what it's like inside. Now the new lift has taken over and doesn't require access to the motor room to maintain (being a MRL) the old lift can simply be switched off and the motor room locked and left. At least that way everything inside is preserved even if it is in a non working state.
Interesting video. So as I understand it, Hilton Park Services is open today northbound and southbound and run by Moto.
And as you explained, the tower part is closed now, and is a monument to past ideas about how services should look and what the public wanted. Stairs and endless spirals of stairs seem unpopular these days. Most (all) services are built on ground level.
Excellent video as always matt. So much interesting stuff. Such a shame that these nice old buildings are left to collapse
Agreed. When motorway services are all such bland places, it seems a shame that the few that have genuinely interesting features have abandoned them in favour of further blandness. If that place had a Costa in it (and was on a stretch of the M6 I ever used, which to be fair it isn’t) I’d probably be looking for a way to break my journey there instead of the services before or after it - bit like I now do with Gloucester whenever I’m headed for Bristol.
I can remember it when I stopped as a truck driver for my breaks 👍🏻 They even had a pool table lol 😆 It was quite good as was Lancaster service back in the day 👍🏻
Can remember Hilton Park Tower being HGV only CAFE and a lot cheaper than the Rested downstairs !!!
Fascinating vid - top marks.
Amazed there seemingly weren't any security wombles to dodge.
Looking forward to the second one 🙌
Thanks for the comment Toby. Yes, I guess just lucky!
You can tell it was open in the 2000s from the dark grey paint they started to paint everything with since then, the switch labeling and especially the very modern detergent dispenser for the dishwasher.
Have you thought about contacting people who used to work there to see if you can gain a history? Maybe they have original photos to compare it to?
That place had to have been in use later than the early 80's....There are labels on those switches in the kitchen that weren't used utill at least the late 90's and the tile pattern and colors in the restaurant are definitely not from the 70s when it was built...more like 90s as well...Very cool video though...I enjoyed it...Great filming
The sheer quality of content that manages to come out of this awesome little channel never ceases to amaze me! Keep it up Matt!
Very nice video! Feels like walking in a game with the little map hehe. I live in Belgium so i don't know the building, but love the typical 70s architecture. It's a shame that they abondoned it after only 1 year of service. I'm also new to your channel, let's have a look at your other vids.
Cheers!
What a wonderfull look back in time, I would imagine the veiws to the West would have been much better 40 years back before the trees matured to the height they are now - Keep up these great videos please.
The labels on the switches at 9:00 look like they were printed on a modern labelmaker to me, so must date from after the tower closed... that's a bit mysterious. There are examples of contemporaneous labels at 10:50.
Thanks so much for documenting this, very jealous that you managed to get up there!
Probably some supplies are kept running, to keep the building from freezing, and likely there are still people using the lower sections, so need power.
I noticed the same thing, items like the smoke/heat detectors in the ceiling look relatively new, the plastic usually deteriorates to a tan/yellow color after a few years even without UV exposure while these are still white.
@@abpsd73 It looks like a newish apollo XP95 fire system, system was probably replaced for lower floors a few years back so the upper closed levels will have been done.
Modern lift, with power, can be seen at around 6:00
@@benabusthethird9751 yes, but that's because that lift is still in use between the services on the ground floor and the footbridge level.
I love that the decay is mostly natural. Faded tiles at 9:57, rusty window frames at 13:03, peeling paint at 13:48
This looks like its out of a horror game yet feels quite relaxing, I was at this service station yesterday and I think most people forget that the tower exists once they step inside…
As a kid when the motorways were new in the sixties,stopping at the services for sausage and chips was a treat.
Remember a new initiative in the mud to late eighties,one group, can't remember which, cooked fresh to order on a gas BBQ, the gammon was superb, before long though they cooked in batches and left the meat and fish etc under hot lamps which dried it up, I asked the manager why the change, he said cooking to order didn't work at busy times and if a coach load came in shame.
Started work after Polytechnic in 79, remember having a bite at Little chefs on the M1 that still had the open griddle and American style bar stools, happy days and the motorway wasn't so busy.
Another quality piece of work, I always look forward to your new posts as they are so engaging. 👍
I think there was probably more of a belief that people would actually enjoy looking at the motorway in the past... a lot of early services had bridge restaurants over the motorway with large windows.
Yep, it might be exactly that. But since then motorway services are now known for their extortionate prices. Although I must admit, they have improved slightly over the past 10 years (a little!)
I can’t believe that closed so long ago. There are items in there that look so much newer. There is some labelling on switches in the kitchen area (‘Fat Fryer’ etc) which are quite a modern type.
The row of switches at 09.03 - The labels on them are at least mid 1990’s.
Very interesting tower! I look forward to seeing the motor rooms!
Hello... I am very enthusiastic about your videos. Such high quality...great job and interesting format! Best regards 👋
Great video and brought back some good and some bad memory’s,the plumbing company I work for used to have a maintenance contract with Moto and we used to work there a bit,I remember when this abandoned restaurant was a truckers cafe in the late 80’s early 90’s and we used to go up there to have brews!!,also I remember being sent many a time to unblock the urinals!!!! Grim!!!!, keep up the good work 🤟
How much i love your abandoned Building and Elevator Videos especially with that Music! Greetings from Austria 😉😉😉
Again, a great selection music. You really have a skill to enhance the footage into a truly mesmerizing experience
It's crazy such cool building sits abandoned. You'd think the space could be changed into offices or something. With a modern "open" office layout, the white noise from traffic would be an asset!
It doesn't comply with fire regulations, and modifications are costly because it is riddled with asbestos.
I was driving in the early 1990s and used the lorry driver's restaurant on a number of occasions. I recall getting a good breakfast.
I used to work there in 1997/8 and could’ve sworn there was a truckers cafe upstairs where I used to have my lunch…
My dad will potentially remember this tower from the 70s being born in Birmingham. Saw an old gent 1102 fire alarm call point without the hammer, which was most probably stolen at somepoint,
If this closed in 1980 then the British were clearly 25 years ahead of Americans on technology based on what's left.
some bits of it were used into the 1990s (as a restaurant for truckers, and a storage space) the electric safety inspections are recent due to the rest of the building still being active (and power being supplied to the roofspace for mobile phone base stations)
Its a shame they cant refurbish these places or even try to get them as listed building. They have that very 70s and 80s Retro vibe to them that is well worth protecting and refurbishing into something that could be of use for people again on the motorway.
I stopped off at these services a few weeks back and had no idea that was abandoned! I did wonder what it was for however.
It wouldn't take much to bring that up to spec and reopen it. Worst bit is bringing it up to fire regs and electrical regs. Would be ideal for the truck drivers if it was refurbished with modern facilities
Love seeing the old motorway stuff
I absolutely love the innovative ways you come up with getting the camera to those 'hard to reach places'! What an interesting place, those fan starters certainly look their age, but some of the other isolators look a bit more modern. Did this area get used briefly in more recent years?
I thought that, also some of the soap dispensers especially the washing up / bucket doser are definitely early 90s. I think it, or parts of it, was a staff area from the 80s to 90s, which seems anachronistic when you (before McDonalds and the like took over the actual food part of a service station) had a huge kitchen downstairs, but years ago no doubt better companies still ran completely separate staff areas with their own catering. I mean I used to work in a supermarket in the early 90s that had a large cafe, but they still had a completely separate and fully equipped kitchen and for the staff rest room.
The big fuse board in the kitchen has a 2022 due date for the next inspection so some of this is certainly active! The last inspection was in 2021 according to the sticker.
Excellent video! I really like that floor map you made.
So, do the main lifts not go up the tower? Looks like they just take you to a landing between 2 sets of stairs. Quite an absurd way to do it I think, but I guess DDA wasn’t really considered so much back then lol!
It’s really interesting seeing how the tower is almost frozen in time. I wonder why it’s in such bad condition though? Seems like they went around scrapping much of the interior for some reason. I suppose they may have sold all the kitchen appliances ect if they’re worth anything.
Also, that modern lift looks absolutely hideous! Horrible bulky logic cabinet slapped against the wall. I can only assume it’s so bad looking because it doesn’t matter since nobody will see it, but I wouldn’t be surprised it that’s just how it always looks and they think nothing of it. I like how the call button is suitable for DDA requirements despite being on a stairs lobby lol!
I was watching the lift lobby and thinking the very same. No DDA type considerations. Also, so little space for flow in and out of the restaurant area. Cool idea, but design and execution of the experience clearly doomed it. With such a small central core, I’m imagining the same fate met Lancaster.
I can just imagine another blogger outside whilst you were in there, filming a 'mysterious ghostly figure' seen through the widow of an abandoned mall...
From a design point of view its impressive. Great video.
Just found your channel, great video love the format of it. 👍
Cool, thanks very much for your comment Neil, glad you like it! :)
Such a beautiful modern looking building for over 50 years old.
It was used as the truckers only cafe until 1994, then used for staff breaks until 96, I know as I worked there
I remember having a rest break in the tower in 1987. I used to go to work with my dad on the summer holidays as school shuts down
such a shame these old lifts cant run one more time.. would love to see that place in a operating state again someday but its been so long it will be torn down most likely soon? :( shame. such a unique building.
The building is going nowhere. The floors underneath this one are very much still in use.
nice to see your warnings, so many adventurers do not bother.
I remember eating in here many years ago. Quite clearly. Problem is I was born in 1987.
What a wierdly specific dream that turned out to be. Hm
Excellent video! I really like that floor map you made.
So, do the main lifts not go up the tower? Looks like they just take you to a landing between 2 sets of stairs. Quite an absurd way to do it I think, but I guess DDA wasn’t really considered so much back then lol!
It’s really interesting seeing how the tower is almost frozen in time. I wonder why it’s in such bad condition though?
From the outside of the tower reminds me of an airport's traffic control tower.
If I remember right the truck drivers used to top bit more than the general drivers. I can remember it still being open around 88 as we were in there after going to Birmingham for a Christmas party and called in there for food on the way back as we only lived a few miles away from the services.
Fascinating how buildings like this are abandoned. Think of the missed opportunities, over the years, for repurposing the space.
Wow, what a place. Great video. 😀👍
Always good work! 👍
Very soothing calm videos keep uploading , some time I used this video's for sleep
Kinda right place at the right time for this explore
An excellent and well thought out video. Thank you!
Cool, thanks very much for the compliment Adam :)
Nice! i love abaounded buildings when pepole explore them! also first e
Fantastic video!!! I' m waiting for the Next😊
Both Hilton park and Lancaster services in the 70s had HGV drivers cafe and TV lounge in the towers
Ooo very exciting! Thanks for uploading
I actually remeber that service station as a kid going back to Liverpool from hastings, we had moved there In the early 80s and were always back amd forward, I remeber going across the bridge to the other side
nice! thanks for the comment
My mom worked there for years,I also remember using the restaurant 👍😎
I love it , be one hell of a Grand designs episode 🙂
I was waiting for this video !
And it seems that you have put hard work making the the floor map
I have just found your channel and really like it you put a lot of detail and attention to switchgear electrical items and retro things like that which I used to fit back in the day and then find very interesting great videos keep up the good work I have subscribed and will continue to watch your videos
Thanks very much ShornSparks! Appreciate the nice comment. I always think... if "I" don't enjoy watching it then noone else will. And being a perfectionist also helps! Thanks for subbing also. Matt
My pleasure some people probably don't quite get it but a lot of this old stuff does really mean quite a bit to some people
When these were built in the early 70s they were considered futuristic and 'swish' people would actually drive to them for a special meal out. A different time then hard to imagine now.
Why didn’t the passenger lifts go all the way up, like they did in Lancaster? Also, is the old Otis passenger lift still working? All the goods lift are derelict, right?
Just been watching another channel about motorways and along with yours I'm starting to get a headache which I seldom get,That constant background traffic
13:10 if this are the "nice Views" then i definitely would have ditched the idea as soon it was clear that the wanted height was not possible...
Like Stranger Things. Great work
so is the old otis in the passenger lift set no longer working now? i've been to this services once in 2019 - it was working then, but there was a sign above the doors on G and 1 saying GOODS LIFT - very annoying as i wanted to ride it so much but i didn't want to risk there being an issue if spotted, so i didn't use it :( shame that it's not working now if thats how it is, i doubt it'll be back given how things went with the lifts there and only one having been replaced when it did. Can't wait for the next part of the video!
Apparently it hasn’t worked for a while
Its quite likely that after the new lift took over they stopped maintaining the old lift
It's done well for a building left for so long. I imagine it's been looked after. No vandalism. It beggars belief that a building so big and dare I say posh is left to rot. Such a waste.
10:37 could you explain to me why the electric inspection sticker says (last inspection 2021) as thought this was shut in early 2000s. thanks
Yes, certainly. I've just added this to the video description as I've been asked this a few times. "You may notice the electrical distribution boards in the tower have recent 'tested' stickers on them. Even though the power is switched off in the tower, the electrical switch panels still have power coming into them. The tower is on top of the motorway services, which means that even switched off electrical panels must be maintained and tested on a regular basis, hence the stickers"
All of these motorway service stations you have in the UK seem to look like they want to be massive air traffic control towers when they grow up.
I can’t wait to see it yes 👍
Interesting to see that despite the tower being abandoned they've brought what are clearly newer lifts almost up to it. Just in case?
Probably as much because replacing old ones means it was easier to do a straight replacement, and leave workings at the same height. Could however be converted to a rest area for truckers. Once they pay for their parking for their required rest breaks, they can get access, with food and showers available.
I was hitching from Dover to Glasgow after hitching from Denmark & I got dropped off by a trucker at Hilton park services. I was exhausted & I crashed out on inside the tunnel of the walkway bridge that straddles the motorway. I got a good sleep & successfully made my way to Glasgow the next morning.
It would be cool if they opened it back up again, and refurbished it!
Boy, do I have a lot of hatching up to do with your videos! That's a good thing though. I really like the (Brutalist ?) architecture of this building.
Totally fascinating.
thanks! :)