Markham Moor

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Markham Moor
Nottinghamshire
Markham Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 1330411.jpg
The Markham Hotel, Markham Moor
Location
Grid reference: SK715735
Location: 53°15’27"N, 0°55’35"W
Data
Post town: Retford
Postcode: DN22
Dialling code: 01777
Local Government
Council: Bassetlaw
Parliamentary
constituency:
Newark

Markham Moor is a village in Nottinghamshire, by the meadows of the River Maun, across which to the north-west is the tiny village of West Drayton. To the west is East Markham and to the south Sibthorpe. The closest town is Retford, five miles to the north.

The village stands at a meeting of roads, on the junction between the A1, A638 and A57. The A1 crosses the Maun at the west edge of the village. Just to the north-west, past West Drayton, the river joins the River Meden to create the River Idle.

The village was on the route of the old Great North Road.

Markham Moor junction

Th major road junction s placed in the middle of the village, where the A1 trunk road is met by the A638 to Retford and the A57 to Lincoln. Previously, this junction was a simple roundabout, but as part of junction improvements by the Highways Agency between Blyth in Nottinghamshire and Peterborough in Northamptonshire, the junction changed to the current two level junction, with one roundabout at the north end for the A57 and A638, and another roundabout on the south side for the B1164 Great North Road to Tuxford. Both roundabouts are connected by a flyover.

After not a little local objection, the upgraded junction was completed in October 2008.

Service area

[File:Sam Scorer, Little Chef - geograph.org.uk - 173949.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The former Markham Moor Little Chef]] Markham Moor junction has a number of companies providing services for travellers travelling along the major trunk roads which meet at the Markham Moor junction, including McDonald's, a Travelodge, a historic hotel on the route of the old Great North Road and a truck stop. The services also held a Little Chef café, which was originally constructed as a petrol station and converted to a Little Chef in 1989 but disused from 2012 to 2019. Due to its unusual hyperbolic paraboloid shell roof, constructed in 1960–61 to designs by architect Hugh Segar (Sam) Scorer and structural engineer Dr Hajnal-Kónyi, there was a preservation campaign in 2004 to get the building listed to prevent it from being demolished as part of the Markham Moor junction improvement plans published by the Highways Agency.[1] The plans were revised to save and improve access to the restaurant. The shell canopy was designated Grade II listed on 27 March 2012.[2] It was purchased and redeveloped and re-opened as a Starbucks in December 2019.

Outside links

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("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Markham Moor)

References

  1. Wainwright, Martin (5 January 2004). "Preservation bid for innovative 1950s motorway café". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/jan/05/arts.artsnews. Retrieved 1 June 2008. 
  2. National Heritage List 1402678: @ (Grade II listing)