Planning

The proposals for the site were read to Newport Pagnell Rural District council on Wednesday 29 May 1957 at Little Linford.^[2] Most of the site, on the northbound is in Great Linford.

Four service stations on the M1 were planned - each of 10 acres - Toddington, Newport Pagnell, Rothersthorpe, and one near Ashby St Ledgers in Northamptonshire.^[3] The petrol site was run by Blue Star Garages.^[4]

Licensing squabble

On Wednesday 10 February 1960, North Buckinghamshire Licensing Magistrates was asked to approve a table licence for alcoholic drinks, which was refused by the twelve magistrates (eight men and four women), in a two and a half hours hearing. The British Travel and Holiday Association wanted the alcohol licence, as it thought that overseas visitors would be puzzled to be refused alcohol. Motorway service stations were licensed in Germany and Italy, and open all night. Against the alcohol licensing were Superintendent Laurence Harman, of the local police, and Brigadier Sir Richard Gambier-Parry, who had business interests in breweries in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.^[5][6][7][8]

The site would cost £120,000 for catering, and £200,000 for the whole site.^{[lower-alpha 1]} Due to the refusal of the table licence, Forte reduced the restaurants from four to three, reducing the construction cost from £120,000 to £90,000. The high-class expensive restaurant, requiring the table licence, would not be built. Mr H Henshall, the managing director, said that there would be a snack bar, a self-service unit, and a grill and griddle, with waiter service. The workforce would be reduced from 100 to 75.^[9]

Opening

Newport Pagnell Services was the one of the first two service stations to be opened in the UK, when both it and Watford Gap opened for fuel (only) on 2 November 1959.^[10] It was the first to open catering facilities: the northbound café opened on Monday 15 August 1960, and the southbound restaurant followed on 17 September 1960.^[1] The cost was £250,000,^{[lower-alpha 2]} to employ 82 catering staff. It was the first time that the 'services' sign was seen on UK roads, previously to this it had been a 'fuel' sign.^[11]

Like the motorway, the site was designed by Sir Owen Williams. The services were opened by Forte, and were taken over by Welcome Break in 1988.

The service station is one of fourteen for which large murals were commissioned from artist David Fisher in the 1990s, designed to reflect the local area and history.^[12]