Former Pennine Tower Restaurant at Lancaster Service Area (previously known as Forton Motorway Service Area), M6

PLAN: the engaged hexagonal shaft of the tower is situated at the south-east corner of the original service station on the north-bound side of the M6. The tower shaft contains two lifts, a curved staircase, and a row of three small service lifts. The cantilevered hexagonal plan restaurant (no longer in use) has an open sun deck on the roof.

EXTERIOR: the hexagonal tower shaft has projecting cased stanchions with a narrow vertical window to the centre of each wall face. The wall faces are covered in corrugated asbestos sheeting. The cantilevered restaurant has glazed curtain walling, the window frames now painted green, with a concrete and metal balcony railing to the sun deck above, now painted green (originally contained glazed panels).

INTERIOR: the tower shaft (not accessible to the general public) retains two adjacent pentagonal lifts and a helical staircase which rise to the sun deck, and a row of three small service lifts for transporting food up to the restaurant. At restaurant level the lifts and stair shaft are surrounded by a lift foyer with flanking lavatories and a large servery. Restaurant seating was originally located round the outside, beneath the windows, but the original fixtures and fittings have been removed and temporary partition walls erected to sub-divide the space into offices (not in use). The servery retains its timber soffits, some geometric blue and white wall tiles, and fish-scale tiles forming an open screen.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 10 February 2025 to reformat Name