Old Cafe's

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
581

Lawrence Dunbar:
The last time I was in The Oakamoor at Barton under Needwood the toilets were terrible dirty & smelly, Mind that was way back in the 90s, It used to be very clean way back in the 50/60s days I stayed there a few times They even had an arrangement with some people along the road who had a bungalow & took drivers in for them when they were fully booked, Regards Larry.

The Oakamoor is still going Larry, can’t comment on what it’s like I haven’t been in there for years as it’s so close to home.

582

I remember going in the lodge as a kid in stoke, only half a mile away from home, but always the first stop and the thing that has stuck with me all this time is the source in old sterilised milk bottles :smiley:

583

You two Staffs lads can tell us what was the name of the café at Upper Tean? I came up the old road last week and couldn’t place just where it was or the name. I remember it was always advertised in Headlight magazine.

584

Retired Old ■■■■:
You two Staffs lads can tell us what was the name of the café at Upper Tean? I came up the old road last week and couldn’t place just where it was or the name. I remember it was always advertised in Headlight magazine.

Can’t remember the name but do ur mean the one where galawise transport was in there, just before you turned for the road upto croxden

585

Retired Old ■■■■:
You two Staffs lads can tell us what was the name of the café at Upper Tean? I came up the old road last week and couldn’t place just where it was or the name. I remember it was always advertised in Headlight magazine.

Checkley ■■?

586

Checkley! That’s the one. Cheers, matey. :laughing:

587

Lawrence Dunbar:
Aye the Quernhow another good watering hole, The founder ran it right to the end which was a long time, Then of course it was sold to its present owner, Ive only been in once since it changed hands & I wont be there again, Its changed completely , Regards Larry.

You are right Larry,Quernhow was a good place,I think it opened about 0630 and it was always my first stop going uppards int 70s. I have read some awful reports about it since then though. :frowning:

588

haddy:

Retired Old ■■■■:
You two Staffs lads can tell us what was the name of the café at Upper Tean? I came up the old road last week and couldn’t place just where it was or the name. I remember it was always advertised in Headlight magazine.

Checkley ■■?

It was the Checkley Rest and Station, run by Barry Brash who was also a vehicle restorer. He had and ex X Ray Leyland Beaver converted into a flat and an eight wheeler both parked behind the cafe. Lost all his trade when the road was “improved”.
Bob

589

marshman:

haddy:

Retired Old ■■■■:
You two Staffs lads can tell us what was the name of the café at Upper Tean? I came up the old road last week and couldn’t place just where it was or the name. I remember it was always advertised in Headlight magazine.

Checkley ■■?

It was the Checkley Rest and Station, run by Barry Brash who was also a vehicle restorer. He had and ex X Ray Leyland Beaver converted into a flat and an eight wheeler both parked behind the cafe. Lost all his trade when the road was “improved”.
Bob

Would I be correct in saying there was also a Café called The Salt Box in that area, ■■?, Regards Larry.

590

Lawrence Dunbar:

marshman:

haddy:

Retired Old ■■■■:
You two Staffs lads can tell us what was the name of the café at Upper Tean? I came up the old road last week and couldn’t place just where it was or the name. I remember it was always advertised in Headlight magazine.

Checkley ■■?

It was the Checkley Rest and Station, run by Barry Brash who was also a vehicle restorer. He had and ex X Ray Leyland Beaver converted into a flat and an eight wheeler both parked behind the cafe. Lost all his trade when the road was “improved”.
Bob

Would I be correct in saying there was also a Café called The Salt Box in that area, ■■?, Regards Larry.

The saltbox is on that old route Larry but it’s close to Burton on Trent and still trading I believe.

591

Trev_H:
The saltbox is on that old route Larry but it’s close to Burton on Trent and still trading I believe.

Glad to hear that Trev, it was always on my list of good places to stop and I remember in the days before the new road was built, but planned, we all signed a petition to have a convenient junction made connecting it.

Not sure how convenient the eventual junction was but the last time I was there, admittedly some years ago now, I remember thinking that this is what happens in France - if it’s good enough it will continue to thrive even when by-passed.

592

Hiya theres also or was another cafe on the Stoke side of Tean. when you come from Uttoxeter you meet the roundabout
(the one that everyone falls over on)if you go to the right down the old road instead of going to Stoke. there was a good
cafe just down their on the right hand side. Ive just google earthed it. it seems to be a garage on the lorry park now and
the cafe is a Indian restaurant.i can’t remember the name it was called but used it many many times.if you turned right in
tean going towards Cheadle (oppersite the big mill)after about a mile they made a cafe in the old offices of the grave pit
what was on both sides of the road. it may have been called Hilton gravel. we need a pot herb to tell us more.
John

593

Spardo:

Trev_H:
The saltbox is on that old route Larry but it’s close to Burton on Trent and still trading I believe.

Glad to hear that Trev, it was always on my list of good places to stop and I remember in the days before the new road was built, but planned, we all signed a petition to have a convenient junction made connecting it.

Not sure how convenient the eventual junction was but the last time I was there, admittedly some years ago now, I remember thinking that this is what happens in France - if it’s good enough it will continue to thrive even when by-passed.

I can confirm that the Salt Box is still in business. It’s at Hilton on the re-numbered A5132.

594

And while my mouth’s watering, I’m remembering that the old Poplars at Lymm used to serve the best steak & kidney pies for miles. Yummee!

595

Going towards Stoke from Utoxeter there was The Road House. I think the village was Blyth Bridge.
Further on, before Trentham Gardens, there was a little cafe on the end of a block of houses on the right.On the left there was a pottery I think. The cafe didn’t have a park so we just parked on the side of the road, no yellow lines in those days ! Regards Haddy.

596

before the m5 was extended past strensham , when we came off at j1 of the m50 there was brian’s wooden cafe on the worcester side , but what was the one on the left going towards tewksbury ? you should know casey being of a southern persuasion . on the subject of the poplars , round the back in the early hours it was like an arab bazaar . if you had something good on board it could be bartered . i never paid for a meal in there , 4 pound basket of mushrooms at the kitchen door and i could eat for free anytime . cheers , dave

597

Would that have been the one at Kempsey ■■? Regards Larry.

598

Right then, where do we start?
Us Macc based lads had an “agreement” with the lorry park attendant at Pop’s. He would let us park for a quid when we were on a dodgy as long as we didn’t require a parking ticket.
Brian’s old wooden café burned down (honest, officer!). He built a new bungalow and separate café on the proceeds of the insurance payout wich was superb- so much so that it was almost impossible to get a parking space around breakfast or lunch time. Brian, his wife and their son ran the new place but it closed when Brian retired. Our gang were calling here twice a day, five days a week at one time when we were hauling stone in and out of Tilcon at Pershore.
Can’t remember the name of the café on the Tewkesbury side of the M50, but I remember the adjoining garage was taken over by a company for their motorway breakdown service. It was almost opposite the Shuthonger Manor Hotel. which was lying almost derelict the last time I saw it.
Kempsey was about eight mile further North on the A38, Larry, over the border in a foreign country known as Worcestershire. I hadn’t realised that there was a café there.

599

i little light (very dim ) just came on in my brain when you mentioned shuthonger manor hotel , the cafe was called the shuthonger cafe .

600

rigsby:
i little light (very dim ) just came on in my brain when you mentioned shuthonger manor hotel , the cafe was called the shuthonger cafe .

That’s right Rigsby they used to advertise in the Headlight Mag, Regards Larry.