The original motel

[Archie Gibbs]

Hello all. I wonder if any officianados can help me with something. I remember as a youngster reading a Crossroads book that belonged to my grandmother ( it may have been Malcolm Hulke's New Beginning). An appendix in the book contained a plan of the original motel, with the 1960s appendages constructed around Meg's old house. I wonder if anyone else is familiar with this.

With this plan in my head, I never got to grips with where the original house (which survived the 1981 fire) stood in relation to the 1982 rebuilding and subsequent revamps. I don't recall seeing Meg's sitting room beyond early 1982, and the old offices contained in the house, disappeared soon afterwards.

Having said that, when it was first believed Meg had perished in the fire, she was thought to have been in her bedroom, presumably in the house!

Maybe I am just giving more thought to this than the production staff did, but these little things intrigue me. If anyone else has any knowledge on any of my above obsessions, please let me know! With thanks.

[Mike of CAS]

I've just watched some mid-1982 episodes.

The old "sitting room" is still being offered for use (David says to Kate she may go to the "sitting room") however the old office is also discussed later in the same month, as Kevin Banks comes over to discuss the 'renovations' to it and that area. They also discuss the new sitting room/wing which he is also building/renovating for Barbara.

I suppose it means the old house remained, but was un-used or became a storage area...!

[Fairlawns]

In the very early episodes of Crossroads the sitting room was very plain and not the familiar one we all know, its so annoying these early episodes have gone especially when they were also on 16mm film. We indeed still saw the sitting room after the fire, however not after the first revamped Motel appeared.

[Mike of CAS]

There are photos (or were) of that basic sitting room. I did think myself how different it looked - although from memory of the photo her floral painting was still on the wall. And the phone is on the other wall. (where the patio doors appeared)

This must be as Peter Ling says, because it was only on for 13 weeks and the sets were basic and cheap. Then it became popular so ran and ran, and thus 'proper' sets were introduced.

[Daniel Freeman]

Interesting point by Archie (Hello - Welcome!!) about Meg's bedroom. Adam said something along the lines of "..when Meg's bedroom collapsed into the basement.." And yet the sitting-room/office and long corridor (with the round window) were still intact, albeit a bit smoke-damaged. Perhaps she decided to have a bigger bedroom above Reception (?). We'll never know.

[Maria No. 1.]

Interesting point by Archie (Hello - Welcome!!) about Meg's bedroom. Adam said something along the lines of "..when Meg's bedroom collapsed into the basement.." And yet the sitting-room/office and long corridor (with the round window) were still intact, albeit a bit smoke-damaged. Perhaps she decided to have a bigger bedroom above Reception (?). We'll never know.

Yes, very interesting.  Meg's bedroom looked pretty large though when Philip-Warner-Bligh was in there hiding.  I thought that was above Reception ?

I also remember seeing Meg's bedroom when Hugh was recovering from his first heart attack when he first came home from hospital.  That was 1976, and it looked the same set in 1978.

[Mike of CAS]

The function Room Was above the reception area... ...things seemed to just move around.

What happened to the room that Christmas 1974? used the 'board room' wasn't it. That was a nice room.

The house is despite looking 'square' on the outside image, apparently "L Shaped"

I don't think we ever see the staircase up to the private bed room area (On the wall of the sitting room where the fireplace is? Opposite the fire exit in the hallway that appeared suddenly...

so the hairsalon is along this hallway wall that leads to the other rooms...then curves around to the restaurant, which is also linked to part of the old building with the old garden.

ITs confusing alright.

[paul ross]

And Vera had her salon in reception in 76! the fire took some liberties - apart from the reception nothing else was destroyed. Kevin finished the new sitting room in the spring of 82 and it wasn't seen until the spring of 83. All down to budget. Barbara: "The new sitting room will be wonderful. It always seems odd entertaining in the office". This was to cover them not having the money to have the new set - yet!

[Maria No. 1.]

What happened to the room that Christmas 1974? used the 'board room' wasn't it. That was a nice room.

I've not seen the Christmas 74 episode because of Granada's scheduling policy, but I know in the Boxing Day episode 1978, when they had the staff party and all the singing, that was the boardroom.

[Mike of CAS]

Might be Christmas 1975.. hmm! Its the green room with the tinsel hanging from the 'ceiling' which i thought was done really well.

It is 1975 isn't it as its Hugh and Amy is there with the gloves later.

As for the new sitting room... I don't know why in that case they didn't just continue with the old set - it had only been re-decorated in 1980!

[Daniel Freeman]

That wonderful 70's Motel was always intriguing to me. We never really saw the outside of it at all did we? Apart from that painting of it stuck in reception, showing the original house,the adjoining reception building, a few chalets and the garage...I believe the airfield could be seen too beyond Meg's back garden. Even that didn't quite correspond to the interiors. But we accepted it anyway. It wasn't until the mid-eighties that we started seeing the outside of the building properly, and regularly. (Even Meg's garden through her patio doors was a studio set, when she sat outside in the summer)

[Mike of CAS]

Apparently there is a scene outside 'that' motel, which again adds to even more confusion. Its 1980 or 1981 and Benny is knocked down outside the motel.. losing his sight for a while, the car was aiming to knock Doris down.

The 'Crossroads Motel' sign (white one) is on the wall of the reception with the arched window. (not opposite as in studio) I guess this must be the Cherry Trees motel...

The curious thing about it is, the motel entrance, that door into the foyer is seen (might be like Cell BLock H and they've added some fake walls outside) but instead of chalets opposite, its a car park!

Guess we'll have to wait and see if it comes out on DVD. ITs a bugger that there clearly was outside scenes at the motel - but they're all wiped!

Holy Brown leaves the motel in 1974 in Harriet, it has its engine 'wound up' as was with those cars outside the reception, Meg and staff waving her off, then drives off down the motel driveway past the red sign, to the Born With a Smile on my face into closing credits!

There is also a photograph of two guests in a car outside the motel conducting a scene, but again no idea whats going on and sadly it doesn't give much of the motel away.

So far all we've seen of Cherrytrees (if it is that one, Alan Coleman says its another one in the 1960s early 70s) is the back of it in Black and White from the 1970s ITC discoveries.

[Doltrice]

There is also some news footage of Nolly outside the motel entrance back in the early 1970s.

Some of this footage was used on BBC One's 'TV Heros' on Noele.

[Archie Gibbs]

Thank you all for your knowledgeable contributions. The fire certainly bent a few dimensions. From the plans of the motel I saw in the aforementioned book, the stairs to the bedroom area were to the left of the rather lovely round window, and the bedroom was situated above the old office. Maybe the basement was above the office. It's magic!

Thank you Paul Ross for Barbara's comment. Poor deluded Barbara, the new sitting room was pretty dire! I could see no reason for not continuing with the old set, as MikeGne points out. Unless they just wanted to eliminate all traces of dear old Meg!

On the subject of the original motel, does anyone know what became of the old chalets, with their glorious dark veneer and psychedelic duvets? I know they survived until close to the end of the Jack Barton era. Were they retained further? My memory aludes me!

Oh, and one more thing! Was the lake, so prevalent in the Penns Hall days ever mentioned/ seen before then, or was this just a convenient addition taken advantage of due to the swanky new outside location?

Thanking you in anticipation of more intriguing answers

[Mike of CAS]

The lake appears in the earliest surviving 1966 episode, although its a lot further away from the motel than it is in 1985!

There is also a memory from a long wiped episode someone recalled of Meg and Hugh by the motel lake, again further away than it became later, as they sit on a fallen tree and they discuss the wedding.