Geograph - photograph every grid square

Lancaster Services was opened under the name 'Forton', in 1965 by Rank. The Services are notable for their unusual hexagonal concrete tower on the northbound side which is a prominent local landmark, reminiscent in form to an airport control tower, evoking the ”modern glamour” associated with motorway travel in the early 1960s.

The distinctive tower, called 'The Pennine Tower’, is unique to the services, but Rank built slightly smaller versions at other services of theirs such as Hilton Park. When it originally opened it had a restaurant with a panoramic view. However, the tower had insufficient emergency exits to satisfy Health and Safety regulations and has been closed to the public since 1989. It's now only used for staff training and offices. The 20 metre-high tower was designed by London-based architects' Practice TP Bennett & Sons. It has been designated as a Grade II listed building since 2012 (Historic England List Entry Number: 1404607 Link ).