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One for the road: cooked breakfast and a pint at UK's first motorway pub One for the road: cooked breakfast and a pint at UK's first motorway pub
(about 9 hours later)
Brian Russell sipped slightly pensively on his lager and paused to think. "It's certainly one of the strangest pints I've ever had," he decided. "I wouldn't say it's the most relaxing. I don't usually get interviewed constantly in the pub."Brian Russell sipped slightly pensively on his lager and paused to think. "It's certainly one of the strangest pints I've ever had," he decided. "I wouldn't say it's the most relaxing. I don't usually get interviewed constantly in the pub."
The 50-year-old had yesterday found himself the centre of attention as he drank one of the first alcoholic drinks ever poured at the country's first and so far only motorway service station pub. The 50-year-old had found himself the centre of attention on Tuesday as he drank one of the first alcoholic drinks poured at the country's first and so far only motorway service station pub.
The Hope and Champion, a paradoxically old-fashioned name for a brand new glass and steel box nestled between a budget hotel and a Starbucks at Beaconsfield services on the M40 just north-west of London, opened at 4am to the alarm of road safety groups, but spent almost all its opening morning serving mostly tea and coffee and hefty fried breakfasts. The Hope and Champion – a paradoxically old-fashioned name for a new glass and steel box nestled between a budget hotel and a Starbucks at Beaconsfield services on the M40 just north-west of London – opened at 4am to the alarm of road safety groups, but spent almost all its opening morning serving tea and coffee and hefty fried breakfasts.
Russell, who had set off first thing from Walsall in the West Midlands to visit his mother, currently in hospital in London, confessed to mixed feelings. Russell, who had set off first thing from Walsall in the West Midlands to visit his mother in hospital in London, confessed to mixed feelings. "I'm very comfortable with this drink," he said. "It's acceptable to drink one pint of low-strength lager and drive. But I'm not convinced that the pub should be here. The door is just a few metres from the main service area, so it's a temptation."
"I'm very comfortable with this drink," he said. "It's acceptable to drink one pint of low-strength lager and drive. But I'm not convinced, myself, that the pub should be here. The door is just a few metres from the main service area, so it's a temptation." The pub is yet another outlet in the giant and ever-expanding JD Wetherspoon empire, a chain of 800-plus pubs known for taking over unusual outlets such as old cinemas and theatres.
The pub is yet another outlet in the giant and ever-expanding JD Wetherspoon empire, an 800-plus chain of pubs well known for taking over unusual outlets such as old cinemas and theatres.
The group's omnipresent PR consultant hovered around the reporters and TV crews, who during early trade greatly outnumbered paying customers, pointing out that those set on drinking and driving could already buy beer and wine from the service station's branches of Marks & Spencer and WH Smith.The group's omnipresent PR consultant hovered around the reporters and TV crews, who during early trade greatly outnumbered paying customers, pointing out that those set on drinking and driving could already buy beer and wine from the service station's branches of Marks & Spencer and WH Smith.
"It doesn't look like Armageddon in here, does it?" he said. "Just a bunch of people having coffee, tea and breakfast.""It doesn't look like Armageddon in here, does it?" he said. "Just a bunch of people having coffee, tea and breakfast."
The pub's manager, Steve Baldwin, a 16-year Wetherspoon veteran, was possibly the most relaxed person in the room, even after two weeks of training around 100 new staff. The pub's manager, Steve Baldwin, a 16-year Wetherspoon veteran, was possibly the most relaxed person in the room, even after two weeks of training around 100 new staff who will run the outlet from 4am to 1am seven days a week.
He had witnessed the first pint poured – "London Pride. He had three gulps and left it. He was driving" – but having run outlets at Heathrow and Birmingham airports, anomalous pub locations are nothing new to him He had witnessed the first pint poured shortly after the 9am start time for alcohol sales – "London Pride. He had three gulps and left it. He was driving" – but, having run outlets at Heathrow and Birmingham airports, anomalous pub locations are nothing new to him. "We're renowned for having outlets in all sorts of places," he said. "The first one I worked in used to be a carpet shop. This is just another pub for me."
"We're renowned for having outlets in all sorts of places," he said. "The first one I worked in used to be a carpet shop. This is just another pub for me." Others see it very differently. Alcohol and road safety organisations have expressed worries, while an RAC survey found only 12% of those questioned supported pubs at motorway service stations.
Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser on alcohol for the Royal College of Physicians, said the move made alcohol more immediately available for motorists. "I know people can drive off the motorway to find a pub but they make an active choice to do that," he said. "I think it is madness. It has the potential to undo all the good that has been done in drink-driving campaigns."
In a phenomenon which arguably expresses more about the role of motorway service stations in modern British life than the pub, a fair proportion of customers were not long-distance travellers but local people who use the facility as a sort of out of-town dining area.In a phenomenon which arguably expresses more about the role of motorway service stations in modern British life than the pub, a fair proportion of customers were not long-distance travellers but local people who use the facility as a sort of out of-town dining area.
Terry and Jackie Hanks from nearby Farnham Common said they come to Beaconsfield services three or four times a week for coffee or breakfast. Terry and Jackie Hanks, from nearby Farnham Common, said they come to Beaconsfield services three or four times a week for coffee or breakfast. "We heard the pub was coming – we know the service station manager and we chat to him," said Terry, 68, beginning his second coffee of the morning. "This is a good addition. You can get breakfast at some of the other places, but often they'll stop serving at 10.30am. It's midday here."
"We heard the pub was coming – we know the service station manager and we chat to him," said Terry, 68, beginning his second coffee of the morning. "This is a good addition. You can get breakfast at some of the other places, but often they'll stop serving at 10.30am. It's midday here." Lisa Vockins, sitting down to a vegetarian breakfast with sister Karen, mother Eileen and six-month-old son Freddie, sometimes takes her nine-year-old daughter and friends to eat at the service station. "There's more choice than anywhere else local – one of them can have KFC, another can have McDonald's, and I'll have a baked potato," she said.
Lisa Vockins, sitting down to a vegetarian breakfast with sister, Karen, mother, Eileen, and six-month-old son Freddie, sometimes takes her nine-year-old daughter and friends to eat at the service station.
"There's more choice than anywhere else local – one of them can have KFC, another can have McDonald's, and I'll have a baked potato," she explained.
Karen, being taken into London for a shopping trip for her 39th birthday, looked around the pub with slight suspicion. "I think it's a slightly strange concept. I can't really get my head round it, the idea of a pub by a motorway."Karen, being taken into London for a shopping trip for her 39th birthday, looked around the pub with slight suspicion. "I think it's a slightly strange concept. I can't really get my head round it, the idea of a pub by a motorway."
Guy Taylor, en route to his home in Hereford with his wife, Linda, also expressed reservations as he sat down to the decidedly mixed road safety message of a cooked breakfast, a pint of Kronenbourg and a coffee. Guy Taylor, en route to his home in Hereford with his wife, Linda, also expressed reservations as he sat down to the decidedly mixed road safety message of a cooked breakfast, a pint of Kronenbourg and a coffee. "Saturdays could be a bit tricky here, you'd think," he said. "A dozen lads in a van at 9.30 in the morning on the way to the football. You know the way it goes."
"Saturdays could be a bit tricky here, you'd think," he said. "A dozen lads in a van at 9.30 in the morning on the way to the football. You know the way it goes."
He agreed it felt strange to be drinking beer a mere sliproad away from a motorway: "Yes, it does. Particularly at this time of the morning. We weren't planning on coming but when we pulled in for breakfast this happened to be the place. So I said, well, let's break the journey up and wet the baby's head, as it were."He agreed it felt strange to be drinking beer a mere sliproad away from a motorway: "Yes, it does. Particularly at this time of the morning. We weren't planning on coming but when we pulled in for breakfast this happened to be the place. So I said, well, let's break the journey up and wet the baby's head, as it were."