Motorway Services Online

Latest revision as of 00:39, 1 March 2025

Location:

A4 at Dungannon
(close to the M1

(Limited road signage.)

Postcode:

Access/Layout:

Single site located at a junction.

Until 2015, Northern Ireland didn't have any official motorway service areas. What it had instead were a couple of odd places - and the service area at Dungannon is testament to that.

Firstly, it doesn't have official signs directing people to it, but the new A4 does have several non-standard signs pointing to a place called "Motorway Restaurant". Other sources claim that the place is called M1 Services, M1 Service Area or M1 Service Station. Any of those could be correct title, but it doesn't change the fact that the nearest motorway is almost two miles away!

Facilities

Catering: Motorway Restaurant, Subway, Frank and Honest coffee dock Shops: Centra Amenities: Revolution Laundry, Showers Outdoor Space: Very little grass space; Children's Play Area Forecourt: Texaco, LPG

Parking Prices

Short-stay customer parking is provided.

Further information is not available, please update this if you know.

This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.

Contact Details

🏢 Address:
M1 Service Area
100 Woodlough Road
Dungannon
Co. Tyrone
BT70 1AE

🌍 Operators & Official Websites:

Motorway Restaurant Facebook page
Forecourt operated by Patterson Oil
Facebook Page
📞 Telephone number: 028 8772 5380
📌 what3words: ///funny.sorters.scorched
more map options

Trivia and History

A pair of BP petrol stations were built on the original, single carriageway A4 in November 1980. Gushing media reports at the time called it "Northern Ireland's first motorway service station" - with nobody pointing out that it wasn't near a motorway.

The larger westbound side had its own self-service restaurant, known as the Motorway Restaurant. The development cost a total of £100,000.

The larger westbound side tended to be busier, and was eventually given a Subway store.

Frozen In Time

The Motorway Restaurant would be re-built in 2008, and could continue to boast that it was one of Northern Ireland's only restaurants near a motorway.

The same year, work started on upgrading the A4 to a dual carriageway. This would cause many changes to the site. Firstly, the upgrades resulted in the closure and eventual demolition of the quieter eastbound petrol station, with much of the land it sat on becoming unused. As well as this, the westbound petrol station would also lose its direct access to the A4, with a new entrance being provided via a new roundabout junction.

To take advantage of these changes, construction was started on a new petrol station located closer to this new entrance. The new site was given a large, two-storey sales shop, with space made available for multiple retailers to operate in the building. However, for reasons unknown, construction on the new site suddenly stopped, and it would stand empty for many years.

Despite this, with a possible replacement looming, work on maintaining the old petrol station stopped. Its old branding and rough road surface stuck out like a sore, unloved thumb. The Subway counter in the back of the shop would soon close down.

Upgrade

Work would eventually recommence on the abandoned site in 2019. It was soon revealed that this new site would be open 24 hours and branded Texaco, with the Subway reopening alongside a Centra store. Space would also be left for other retailers to open up. The Motorway Restaurant soon also confirmed a move into the new building in August 2019, announcing that they would open on the second floor. The new site eventually open on 22 August 2019, with the Motorway Restaurant opening a week later.

After the opening of the new site, the original westbound BP was then left abandoned and shuttered. It reopened as M1 Auto Sales in 2022.

Alternatives

Previous:		Next:
Cohannon (M1, 6 miles)	Services on the A4 (Northern Ireland)	none

Main Page | Photo Gallery | Location, Map and Directions

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Services
 |type = primary
-|operator = Patterson
+|operator = Patterson Oil
-|image = Dungannon forecourt.jpg
+|image = Dungannon Texaco 2021.jpg
 |country = NI
-|name = M1 Service Area (Dungannon)
+|name = M1 Dungannon
 |road = A4 at Dungannon{{newline}}(close to the [[M1 (Northern Ireland)|M1]]
 |postcode = BT70 1AE
-|signposted = Badly
+|signposted = limited
-|stype = Single site located at a junction.
+|stype = Single site located at a junction
 |coords = 54.479719, -6.7821184
-|maplink = https://www.google.com/maps/place/M1+Service+Station/@54.480145,-6.7842585,16.75z/
 |briefroad = A4 between Dungannon and the A5
 |nights = fuel only
-|markerpost = 8 }}
+|markerpost = 581 }}
-''This page is about a particular brand of restaurant, rather than motorway restaurants in general - the whole website is dedicated to that!''
+Until 2015, Northern Ireland didn't have any official motorway service areas. What it had instead were a couple of odd places - and the service area at Dungannon is testament to that.
-Until 2015, Northern Ireland didn't have any official motorway services. What it had instead were a couple of odd places - and the service area at Dungannon is testament to that.
 Firstly, it doesn't have official signs directing people to it, but the new A4 does have several non-standard signs pointing to a place called "Motorway Restaurant". Other sources claim that the place is called M1 Services, M1 Service Area or M1 Service Station. Any of those could be correct title, but it doesn't change the fact that the nearest motorway is almost two miles away!
 ==Facilities==
-{{facilities| Restaurants | {{website|Motorway Restaurant|https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Fast-Food-Restaurant/Motorway-Restaurant-180827032001478/}}, {{Subway}}, Frank and Honest coffee dock, Mex-A-Go |primary }}
+{{facilities| Restaurants | Motorway Restaurant, {{Subway}}, Frank and Honest coffee dock |primary }}
 {{facilities| Shops | Centra |primary }}
-{{facilities| Amenities | Showers, {{Children's Play Area}} |primary }}
+{{facilities| Amenities | {{Revolution Laundry}}, Showers |primary }}
+{{facilities| Outdoor Space | Very little grass space; {{Children's Play Area}} |primary }}
 {{facilities| Forecourt | {{Texaco}}, {{LPG}} |primary }}
+==Parking Prices==
+Short-stay customer parking is provided.
+Further information is not available, please {{edit|2}} if you know.
+{{Parking Disclaimer}}
 ==Contact Details==
@@ Line 34: / Line 39: @@
 Co. Tyrone{{newline}}
 BT70 1AE
-|gridref = NV902199
+|telephone = 028 8772 5380
-|3words = surfed.sensible.chromatic
+|3words = funny.sorters.scorched
-|websites = * [https://pattersonoil.co.uk/centra-dungannon-m1/ Forecourt operated by Patterson Oil]
+|websites = * [https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Fast-Food-Restaurant/Motorway-Restaurant-180827032001478/ Motorway Restaurant Facebook page]
+* [https://pattersonoil.co.uk/centra-dungannon-m1/ Forecourt operated by Patterson Oil]
 |facebook = PattersonCentraM1Dungannon
 }}
 ==Trivia and History==
-[[File:Dungannon new amenity building.jpg|250px|thumb|right|alt=Mothballed building.|The mothballed amenity building.]]
+[[File:Dungannon Motorway Restaurant.jpg|250px|thumb|right|alt=Motorway Restaurant building.|The previous restaurant building, pictured in 2017.]]
-A pair of [[BP]] petrol stations on the original, single carriageway A4 were built in 1980. Gushing media reports at the time called it "Northern Ireland's first motorway service station" - with nobody pointing out that it wasn't near a motorway. The larger westbound side had its own self-service restaurant, nknown as the Motorway Restaurant. The development cost £100,000.
+A pair of [[BP]] petrol stations were built on the original, single carriageway A4 in November 1980. Gushing media reports at the time called it "Northern Ireland's first motorway service station" - with nobody pointing out that it wasn't near a motorway.
-The larger westbound side tended to be busier, and was given a [[Subway]] store.
+The larger westbound side had its own self-service restaurant, known as the Motorway Restaurant. The development cost a total of £100,000.
+The larger westbound side tended to be busier, and was eventually given a [[Subway]] store.
 ===Frozen In Time===
-The Motorway Restaurant was re-built in 2008, and could continue to boast that it was one of Northern Ireland's only restaurants near a motorway.
+The Motorway Restaurant would be re-built in 2008, and could continue to boast that it was one of Northern Ireland's only restaurants near a motorway.
-Also that year, work started on upgrading the A4 to a dual carriageway. This required the eastbound petrol station to be closed and eventually demolished, although its footprint can still be seen.
+The same year, work started on upgrading the A4 to a dual carriageway. This would cause many changes to the site. Firstly, the upgrades resulted in the closure and eventual demolition of the quieter eastbound petrol station, with much of the land it sat on becoming unused. As well as this, the westbound petrol station would also lose its direct access to the A4, with a new entrance being provided via a new roundabout junction.
-As part of this project, the westbound petrol station lost its direct access to the A4, and would instead be accessed via a new roundabout. To take advantage of this, a new petrol station with a large sales shop (two-storey with space for several retailers) was built close to the roundabout. However, for reasons unknown, this project was never completed, and the new facility stands empty while the original petrol station quietly continues behind it.
+To take advantage of these changes, construction was started on a new petrol station located closer to this new entrance. The new site was given a large, two-storey sales shop, with space made available for multiple retailers to operate in the building. However, for reasons unknown, construction on the new site suddenly stopped, and it would stand empty for many years.
-With a possible replacement looming, work on maintaining the old petrol station appeared to have ceased. Its rough surface and old branding stuck out like a sore, unloved thumb. The old [[Subway]] counter in the back of this shop (more like a warehouse) had a sign which says "This Subway store <s>Is</s>WAS proudly owned by..."
+Despite this, with a possible replacement looming, work on maintaining the old petrol station stopped. Its old branding and rough road surface stuck out like a sore, unloved thumb. The [[Subway]] counter in the back of the shop would soon close down.
 ===Upgrade===
-In 2019, work recommenced on the abandoned site. It will be open 24 hours and branded [[Texaco]], with another [[Subway]], a Centra store and space for other retailers to open up. The Motorway Restaurant confirmed on 18 August 2019 that they would close and move into the new site, on the upper level. The new site opened on 22 August 2019, with the restaurant opening a week later (as confirmed on Facebook).The old [[BP]] is history.
+Work would eventually recommence on the abandoned site in 2019. It was soon revealed that this new site would be open 24 hours and branded [[Texaco]], with the [[Subway]] reopening alongside a Centra store. Space would also be left for other retailers to open up. The Motorway Restaurant soon also confirmed a move into the new building in August 2019, announcing that they would open on the second floor. The new site eventually open on 22 August 2019, with the Motorway Restaurant opening a week later.
+After the opening of the new site, the original westbound [[BP]] was then left abandoned and shuttered. It reopened as M1 Auto Sales in 2022.
 ==Alternatives==
 {{Succession start}}
 {{Succession|1|A4 (Northern Ireland)| [[Cohannon]] (M1, 6 miles) |
-''none'' }}
+none }}
 </table>
+{{bottomnav|noreview=true}}
 [[Category:A-roads (no motorway)]][[Category:A4]][[Category:Not Signed]][[Category:M1]][[Category:M1 (Northern Ireland)]]