Northampton services

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title: "Northampton services" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1978-establishments-in-england", "economy-of-northamptonshire", "m1-motorway-service-stations", "roadchef-motorway-service-stations", "transport-in-northamptonshire", "transport-infrastructure-completed-in-1978"] description: "English motorway service station" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton_services" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English motorway service station ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Motorway Services"]

Field	Value
image	Rothersthorpe motorway services.jpg
image_caption	The southbound services building.
name	Northampton Services
previousnames	Rothersthorpe Services
road	M1
county	Northamptonshire
operator	Roadchef
previousoperator	Blue Boar
dateopened	1978
website
location_map	Northamptonshire#United Kingdom motorways
map_caption	Location in Northamptonshire, England##Location on the UK motorway network
coordinates
::

|image = Rothersthorpe motorway services.jpg |image_caption = The southbound services building. |name = Northampton Services |previousnames = Rothersthorpe Services |road = M1 |county = Northamptonshire |operator = Roadchef |previousoperator = Blue Boar |dateopened = 1978 |website = |location_map = Northamptonshire#United Kingdom motorways |map_caption = Location in Northamptonshire, England##Location on the UK motorway network |coordinates = Northampton services is a motorway service station off the M1 motorway and A43 interchange near Northampton, England. It is owned by Roadchef, and used to be called Rothersthorpe.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/M1_footbridge_near_Rothersthorpe.jpg" caption="The now unused footbridge over the motorway"] ::

Planning permission was given in November 1971, for ten acres, and catering for 212 customers. In 1974, the managing director of Blue Boar was John Lampitt.

Construction started on 1 January 1973, being built by Kottler and Heron, part of Bacal Construction, costing £257,000.

When first opened, Rothersthorpe Services (as it was then known) was located between junctions, an 'online' service area. However, in 1991 the Blisworth Bypass on the A43 was opened, this linked into the M1 at the Rothersthorpe site, creating a junction surrounding the site.

The footbridge was taken out of use for the public in 2002 when the site was redeveloped, though it still remains in place.

Location

Northampton services are located at junction 15A of the M1 at a junction with the A43, because of the way the service area has evolved, it is possible to reach and exit the services without negotiating the main junction, but uniquely it is also possible to access the service area on the opposite carriageway legally.

The services are about 4 mi south of Northampton town centre and 65 mi north west of London.

References

References

1. ''Coventry Evening Telegraph'' Friday 19 November 1971, page 36
2. ''Coventry Evening Telegraph'' Monday 18 December 1972, page 12
3. [http://www.blisworth.org.uk/images/Bypass%20History.htm Blisworth Bypass] - Accessed 14 January 2009

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::