Jimi Hendrix, the legendary rock guitarist, was once led astray by a small service station outside London. Watford Gap Services, the oldest of its kind in Britain, opened in 1959 and has become a cultural landmark due to its many famous visitors.
In its early years, the Northamptonshire service station, nicknamed the Blue Bear, was a late-night destination for people escaping the pubs of London before the 11pm shutdown. A former nightshift worker even collected autographs from famous faces, such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield and the Eagles.
It was during this time that Jimi Hendrix was invited by Gerry Marsden of Gerry & The Pacemakers to party at the Blue Boar after a gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street. Unfortunately, Jimi mistook the service station for a nightclub, much to the amusement of the workers.
Today, Watford Gap Services is facing potential demolition as Roadchef, the owners of the site, have submitted plans to redevelop the area for the electric car era. If the plans are accepted, the current buildings will be replaced with multi-storey buildings and hundreds of charging points.
As the original service station of its kind in Britain, Watford Gap Services has become a part of music history and its memory will live on in the stories of the famous people who passed through it. Keep an eye out for the new live album of Jimi Hendrix’s historic set at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968, which is set to be released in the new year.
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