Mangrove services
A45 between Coventry and the M45
(also accessible to traffic on the A4071 and the B4453)
Signposted from the road.
CV23 9LG
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
The Mangrove service area is next to the westbound side of the A45, but is accessible in the other direction using a flyover. The flyover route is not suitable for HGVs, despite HGV parking spaces being available if you could get there.
The area is often nicknamed 'Blue Boar'.
Facilities
Catering: McDonald's Drive Thru Amenities: Travelodge Outdoor Space: Large grass space next to hotel Forecourt: Texaco, Shop, Costa Express, Roberto's Hand Car Wash
Parking Prices
First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which all vehicles must pay £8 for up to 24 hours or £10 for overnight parking.
A small number of HGVs can be parked, but these spaces can only be accessed when travelling westbound. If travelling eastbound (or approaching from a local road), the entrance is too tight for HGVs.
Prices can be paid in the forecourt.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Mangrove Service Station
London Road
Thurlaston
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV23 9LG
Trivia and History
A garage known as the 'Blue Boar Garage' has been positioned here on London since at least the 1930s. It was built between Bourton House and Blue Boar Cottage, with the Blue Boar Farm positioned on the opposite side of the road, and as a result the junction was known as 'Blue Boar Corner'.
There is some confusion over whether this Blue Boar was related to the motorway operator who famously built the nearby Watford Gap services. That Blue Boar traces their history back to a Blue Boar Inn on the A5, which became a chain of garages with that name across the region, including one that was apparently near Dunchurch. Either that is a misunderstanding, or there are a lot of boars in the Midlands.
At Mangrove, plans emerged to build a flyover at the dangerous Blue Boar Corner in the late 1960s. These plans also referenced a "motorway-style" service station which would be built next to Bourton House. Blue Boar Garages proposed a 'Motor Motel' in 1979, along with a restaurant and new filling station.
Bourton House was later demolished and the garage became a full petrol station in 1984, after a short period of being abandoned, but no other facilities emerged until the Dunchurch branch of Little Chef opened in Summer 1988. A Travelodge hotel was also added to the site.
The Little Chef closed on 22 August 2012, and was converted to a McDonald's Drive Thru shortly after.
Despite the exit still being known as the Blue Boar turn, the service area has been officially called 'Mangrove service station' for some time. Some sources call it 'Dunchurch services'.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Stonebridge (8 miles) | Services on the A45 | Watford Gap (M1 south, 10 miles) |