The humble layby on the A4 near Aldermaston marks the location of England's first roadside petrol station, opened by the Automobile Association in 1919 with a single hand pump and attendant. After the 1917 Russian Revolution the AA partnered with British Benzole to sell 'patriotic fuel' produced in Britain. Founded in 1905 to warn motorists of speed traps, the AA evolved from bicycle scouts to motorcycle patrols and—by 1962—yellow vans, ending the traditional roadside salute.
Filling Up on History: Where England’s First Roadside Petrol Station Stood (A4, Aldermaston)
The humble layby on the A4 near Aldermaston marks the location of England's first roadside petrol station, opened by the Automobile Association in 1919 with a single hand pump and attendant. After the 1917 Russian Revolution the AA partnered with British Benzole to sell 'patriotic fuel' produced in Britain. Founded in 1905 to warn motorists of speed traps, the AA evolved from bicycle scouts to motorcycle patrols and—by 1962—yellow vans, ending the traditional roadside salute.
11:53 AM, 11/15/2025Culture
Filling Up on History: A4, Aldermaston
Beside a busy stretch of the A4 Bath Road near Aldermaston lies an unremarkable layby choked with nettles, brambles and trees. To passing drivers the only sign is a combined railway and bus marker for services between Newbury and Thatcham. Yet only a few feet away is the site of England's first roadside petrol station.
The tiny forecourt was opened in 1919 by the Automobile Association (AA). According to English Heritage, motorists were served from a single hand-operated pump by uniformed AA patrolmen. Radio Berkshire's Kirsten O'Brien visited the spot and spoke with Andy Smith of the AA's heritage team about its significance.
Mr Smith explains that more than a century ago the A4 was already a very busy trunk route, long before the M4 existed, which made it a logical location for a refuelling point. At the time Britain imported some fuel from Russia; in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, that trade became politically sensitive. 'So the AA teamed up with British Benzole to supply "patriotic fuel", to encourage people to buy fuel produced in the UK,' he said.
'There was a very small forecourt, enough for one car to pull in, a small building with a canopy, an underground tank or bowser, and one man with a pump waiting to fill cars,' Mr Smith recalled.
Before purpose-built filling stations existed, motorists bought small amounts of fuel in glass or tin cans from ironmongers, blacksmiths or general stores. The Basingstoke-based AA itself had been formed only 14 years earlier, in 1905.
'A group of men met in the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus and formed a club — initially to protect motorists from police speed traps,' Mr Smith said. Early AA scouts rode bicycles and later used motorcycles and sidecars to warn members of speed traps. Over time the organisation worked more closely with police and shifted its focus toward roadside assistance.
An iconic patrolman salute — given when an AA badge was displayed on a car's grille — became part of AA culture. That custom ended in 1962, the same year yellow AA vans began replacing motorcycles and sidecars, making the salute impractical.
Today the layby is a quiet, overgrown reminder of an early chapter in motoring history: the transition from improvised fuel purchases and club scouts to organised roadside service and the emergence of the forecourt as we know it.
Sources: English Heritage; Radio Berkshire interview with Andy Smith, AA Heritage Team.