50 year old M6 sign rescued from scraphead and finds new life in museum

For nearly 50 years, one of the oldest signs on the UK’s motorway network stood tall, greeting millions of drivers passing by on the M6.

The iconic blue and white sign for Keele Services in north Staffordshire became a familiar sight for decades—until one day, it simply vanished. Cue the buzz on social media, as curious motorists wondered what had happened to this long-standing roadside landmark.

It turns out the sign, which had been slowly rusting and fading over the years, was taken down for safety reasons. But don’t worry—it hasn’t been scrapped! Instead, this historic piece of motorway memorabilia has found a new home at the Aldridge Transport Museum in the West Midlands.

The Keele Services sign, originally installed in the mid-1970s, was unique for being located in the central reservation and was one of the oldest signs of its kind.

Its disappearance led to a search mission spearheaded by National Highways’ very own Matt Sparks, who was determined to rescue the aging sign from obscurity. After a bit of sleuthing, he and colleague Richard Hancox tracked it down at a highways depot.

Thanks to their efforts, the sign has been spruced up and is now proudly on display, where visitors can enjoy a piece of motorway history that has seen its fair share of motorway fumes and British weather over the years.

Picture credit: National Highways