I understand that the Salt Box Cafe at Hatton (Derbyshire) is to close permanently later this year. There can be few of the ‘old timers’ on here who have not known this place over the years, indeed, I have known it personally for over fifty years.
Owned and run by the late Jim Egan, it always has been a well known driver’s cafe. When he retired, his son - also Jim - took it over and continued to run the popular watering hole. With the coming of the A50 bypass, sensing the loss of much passing trade, Jim bailed out and sold the business.
It has changed hands a couple of times since and, to be fair, the present owners have upgraded the cafe to a more general-public oriented business, whilst still catering for lorry drivers and over-night parkers
Now, at the end of the year, it is to be demolished and rebuilt as a Marstons Gastro-pub.
Sadly, the end of an era and the passing of yet another lorry driver’s facility.
used I thatt a few times when taking the kids to Alton Towers, clean and good food,thats all need to run a good café Pity no one told Phylis in Bradford about that!!
It will be a shame to see the Salt Box gone as it is a good overnight place but the food has gone down hill with staff attitudes and the intermittently working showers.
Thats a shame, very few cafe’s survive their site being by passed where the cafe can’t still be seen.
In these days of monitoring and drivers being pushed and watched for every bloody minute, i bet there are some drivers who dare not come off the main road for 2 minutes to visit a cafe before some school leaver planner is on the (insert name of whatever spying and reporting system with texting facilities) to ask why they are off route or stopped longer than 16/31/46 bloody minutes…
Well put. Modern day drivers are slaves of the road, rather than Kings of the road. Much better lorries and, roads to drive them on but, controlled down to the last minute.
Ste46:
I understand that the Salt Box Cafe at Hatton (Derbyshire) is to close permanently later this year. There can be few of the ‘old timers’ on here who have not known this place over the years, indeed, I have known it personally for over fifty years.
Owned and run by the late Jim Egan, it always has been a well known driver’s cafe. When he retired, his son - also Jim - took it over and continued to run the popular watering hole. With the coming of the A50 bypass, sensing the loss of much passing trade, Jim bailed out and sold the business.
It has changed hands a couple of times since and, to be fair, the present owners have upgraded the cafe to a more general-public oriented business, whilst still catering for lorry drivers and over-night parkers
Now, at the end of the year, it is to be demolished and rebuilt as a Marstons Gastro-pub.
Sadly, the end of an era and the passing of yet another lorry driver’s facility.
Steve
Well Steve, didn’t know about this.I 've been away in Newcastle for a few days so just catching up.Cyril Billings and I used to go for lunch there some times.Apple pie and cream was good as was everything else.I suppose the pub will be a two for one job with homemade food everyday and I bet it will be called the Salt Box which to me is a bloody insult as they changed The Saltbox to the Kestral.If they do then Pedigree is certainly off the list.I wonder why these brewers want to name change these pubs.The well known pub in Bramshall(Which you will know where that is) is called The Bramshall Inn which was called the Butchers Arms.My daughter who lives in Brighton has a pub near where she lives called the Pub With No Name.
Ste46:
I understand that the Salt Box Cafe at Hatton (Derbyshire) is to close permanently later this year. There can be few of the ‘old timers’ on here who have not known this place over the years, indeed, I have known it personally for over fifty years.
Owned and run by the late Jim Egan, it always has been a well known driver’s cafe. When he retired, his son - also Jim - took it over and continued to run the popular watering hole. With the coming of the A50 bypass, sensing the loss of much passing trade, Jim bailed out and sold the business.
It has changed hands a couple of times since and, to be fair, the present owners have upgraded the cafe to a more general-public oriented business, whilst still catering for lorry drivers and over-night parkers
Now, at the end of the year, it is to be demolished and rebuilt as a Marstons Gastro-pub.
Sadly, the end of an era and the passing of yet another lorry driver’s facility.
Steve
that was a stop for all the w h phillips drivers i whent with my dad when i was 6 or 7 years old then when i started driving i allways whent in all the good ones gone round derby like the checkley rest and fith wheel on the old a50
What a pity. Stopped there one Saturday morning last year (for the first time in eons) and noticed the change of clientele to more joe public/family & cyclists/bikers meet up place, but had no complaints about the food or surroundings in general.
Update! I stopped as Salt Box on night this week and asked about the latest rumours. It’s not closing. The land at the side is going to have 400 new houses built on it, the Railway Tavern down the road is staying a Marston pub.
beanie:
Update! I stopped as Salt Box on night this week and asked about the latest rumours. It’s not closing. The land at the side is going to have 400 new houses built on it, the Railway Tavern down the road is staying a Marston pub.
Suedehead:
But how long before the residents of said new houses, object to living next to a transport café being used by all those juggernaughts ?
Stuff them, Its like buying a house next to a church then complaining about the bells ringing, Of course the only know Juggernauts not proper wagons , Regards Larry.
