Sixfields services
A5076 Upton Way northbound at Upton
Signposted from the road.
NN5 4EG
map and directions
Single site located between junctions on one side of the road.
Sixfields was developed as a service station for the main A45, but subsequent development has caused it to become more of a local facility. The site is only signposted when heading northbound, but it is easily accessed in both directions by using the nearby roundabouts.
Facilities
Catering: Popeyes Drive Thru Amenities: Travelodge Outdoor Space: Small grass space in front of hotel Charging Points: bp pulse 150kW CCS Forecourt: BP, M&S Simply Food, Wild Bean Café, Car Wash, Free Cash Machine
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Upton Way
Northampton
Northamptonshire
NN5 4EG
- 🗺 Grid reference: SP726601
- 📌 what3words: ///jukebox.scope.invite
🌍 Operators & Official Websites:
Trivia and History
Upton Way was built in the 1980s as a western bypass for Northampton, and it opened as part of the main A45.
Planning permission was first granted to Trusthouse Forte in 1986 to build a service station here on what was part of the A45. Trusthouse Forte's plans included a 80-bed hotel, roadside restaurant and a petrol filling station. A year later, Margram were also granted permission for a service area here, with the exact same features as Trusthouse Forte, albeit with the hotel reduced to 40 bedrooms.
Margram and Trusthouse Forte together opened the site in 1988, with Trusthouse Forte operating the Upton Way branch of Little Chef and a 40-bed Travelodge hotel whilst Margram operated a Mobil-branded filling station.
Changes
The Travelodge was extended in 1996, and a year later the filling station was rebranded to BP. There were also plans in 2000 for the Little Chef to adopt the Little Chef Choices format, but this never happened.
The Little Chef eventually closed in 2004. Enquiries were received from Vets4Pets and Harry Ramsden's, but the restaurant was instead bought by local restaurant chain Buddies USA Diner. Buddies extended the restaurant in 2010, but the restaurant permanently closed in summer 2020, having struggled during the lockdown.
BP added a BP Pulse electric vehicle charger to their forecourt in early 2023.
American fried chicken chain Popeyes adapted the empty Buddies building into a drive-thru restaurant in early 2023, with the restaurant opening on 17 July 2023.
Surrounding Neighbourhood
At the time it was built, the A45 was a fast road with no nearby housing estate and without the two roundabouts at Upton. As a result, the service area was treated like any other service station on a major road, although Forte were probably hoping it would appeal to locals in Duston too.
Upton and the two roundabouts serving it were built in the late 1990s, transforming the A45 into a local road, which was renumbered to A5076 in the 2000s. This gave the service area less through traffic, but lots of local residents to serve. It also has to compete with a neighbouring retail park.
Despite this, as of 2021, the road signs referring to the service area still pre-date the A45 becoming a local road. As a result, they are much bigger than any other sign in the area; they are the wrong colour and one of them is awkwardly placed practically on the new roundabout. It is most likely that the local authority (who inherited the road) has no record of the signs being there.
Alternatives
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