Shooters Hill services
A2 westbound at Sun in the Sands Roundabout
(also accessible to traffic on the A102 and the A207)
Signposted from the road.
SE3 8UQ
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
Inner city roads don't normally qualify for full on service areas, but this everyday petrol station in Shooters Hill has, since 2009, had a series of "Services" signs pointing to it from the A2 Rochester Way. This unusual decision most likely follows running out of fuel in the nearby Blackwall Tunnel.
Facilities
Outdoor Space: No grass space; public footpath connections Charging Points: Shell Recharge 50kW CCS & 50kW CHAdeMO Forecourt: Shell, Select, Costa Express, Deli by Shell, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
Short stay customer parking is available for cars. No HGV parking is available.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Shell Shooters Hill
165 Shooters Hill Road
London
SE3 8UQ
- 🌍 Official Shell/Shooters Hill website
- Foursquare Page
- 📞 Telephone number: 020 8269 2215
- 📌 what3words: ///votes.slips.from
- more map options
Trivia and History
The 1960s saw the construction of both the A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel Approach motorway, the Sun in the Sands Roundabout, and this little garage in Shooters Hill. Although it was here to take advantage of the increase in motor traffic in the area, the garage's opening wasn't directly connected to the new roads, and it was quite happy serving the local community. Inner city roads like the A102(M) never qualify for official service areas anyway.
The site is positioned next to the old Roman Road to Dover, but that route stopped being the main thoroughfare before the garage opened. The main entrance has always been on Shooters Hill Road, which assumed new importance with the new road layout.
London's inner city motorway dream soon died, and the A102(M) lost its motorway status in 1999. Yet 10 years later, it was decided that the forecourt at Shooters Hill did qualify to be fully signposted from the equally built-up A2 Rochester Way approach to the junction. There may be reasons for that, but it remains unusual for a service area to be signposted from only one of the three major approaches to it, unusual for a place this small to be signposted at all, and almost unheard-of for an area this urban to get the 'Services' signs that are normally reserved for long journeys.
The most-likely reason for this seemingly strange classification is that this is the last easily-accessible petrol station for most traffic entering the Blackwall Tunnel, where breakdowns are frequently disruptive. The UK's strict road sign regulations don't allow petrol stations to be advertised in advance unless they are classed as "Services", so "Services" it is.
The forecourt had a car wash, but this was removed in 2005 to extend the forecourt. The site then gained a Select store and Deli2go offering in around 2014.
More recently, the site gained a Shell Recharge electric vehicle charging point in 2020. This was removed for a time before being reinstated in 2023.
Alternatives
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| none | Services on the A2 | Blendon (westbound, 5 miles) Tollgate (16 miles) Clacket Lane (M25 south, 26 miles) Maidstone (M20, 36 miles) |