Tollgate services
A2 between Dartford and the M2
(also accessible to traffic on the A227)
Signposted from the road.
DA11 7NP
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
A small forecourt now positioned away from the A2.
Facilities
Outdoor Space: No grass space; public footpath connections Forecourt: Shell, SPAR, Favorite Chicken, Greggs, Subway, Costa Express, f'real Milkshakes, iSqueeze Fresh OJ, Skwishee Iced Drinks, LPG (FloGas), Jet Wash, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
Parking and use of the forecourt is limited to 1 hour maximum stay and is strictly enforced. 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:
Tollgate Filling Station
Watling Street
Gravesend
Kent
DA11 7NP
Trivia and Design
This garage is positioned at the historic junction of Watling Street and Wrotham Road. There was a turnpike here, and the Turnpike Inn (later Tollgate Motel) was built opposite - it later closed in 2006.
The A2 through here was widened in 1968, and Wrotham Road was diverted onto a new alignment. The Tollgate Garage opened next to the eastbound A2, positioned at the old junction. It had its own bespoke "Tollgate Services" signs, long before A-road service areas were officially created in policy.
The road was upgraded again in 2009, and it was moved south on to a new alignment. This meant the garage was now isolated on an old section of road, but it also meant traffic leaving the A2 in either direction could get to it via the improved junction.
Forecourt History
The site was built by American fuel giants Amoco. By the late 1980s, the site had been passed over to Linnco Ltd, who had introduced a 7-Eleven store. By 1992, the site had been sold to Elf who planned to redevelop the forecourt.
Elf's redevelopment was surpassed by a larger proposal to add a restaurant, but this was refused planning permission on traffic grounds.
By 1997, the site had been sold to Petrol Hypermarkets Ltd, who owned the site under the Texaco brand. They renewed Elf's redevelopment proposal but also submitted plans themselves to redevelop the site, introducing a 'snack food' offering within the forecourt shop.
The site was sold to Simon Privett in November 1998. They rebranded the site to BP and introduced a SPAR store. A blimp was attached to the forecourt building to promote it to passing traffic in the mid-2000s.
The site was rebranded from BP to Shell in 2015. BP Express have submitted three planning applications to build a a BP-M&S combo site and two-storey McDonald's drive thru here. The current forecourt owner appealed against this and the plan was scrapped.
The filling station was redeveloped in March 2017 with an extended SPAR store and a larger Subway franchise, as well as a new Favorite Chicken franchise.
The site was sold to Blakemore Retail in December 2021 following the retirement of owner Simon Privett. A new Greggs unit later opened within the SPAR store on 21 July 2022. Following to opening of the Greggs store, the mural of the original Tollgate filling station was removed from the external windows, in favour of new Greggs promotion material.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Blendon (westbound, 11 miles) Thurrock (M25 north, 10 miles) | Services on the A2 | Cobham (westbound, 2 miles) Medway (M2, 13 miles) Beechings Way (A289, 13 miles) |