The Hoover Factory - Perivale, UK





Architect
Wallis, Gilbert and Partners
Date Built
Building 1 - 1932 other buildings added in 1934 / 35 & 38
Location
Western Avenue in Perivale, West London
Description
Wallis, Gilbert and Partners was an architectural team responsible for many of the iconic Art Deco buildings in the UK.  Among them were factories for Hoover, Wrigley's, Firestone and General Electric.  They were also responsible for the Victoria Coach Station and the Daimler Hire Garage on Herbrand Street in London.



The Hoover Factory once housed the company's main manufacturing plant in the UK with around 600 employees.  The factory was gradually enlarged from one building in 1932 to seven buildings in 1938.  During WWII the factory switched production from vacuum cleaners to electrical components for aircraft and tanks.

Building Number 7 was home to the factory's canteen.  When I visited in June of 2014 it was in the process of being refurbished for a new role as a restaurant and banqueting hall for the Nawaab Restaurant Group.



They say on their website that, "Nawaab is proud to reveal that work is underway to bring Manchester’s favourite restaurant to London. Nawaab London has been given official clearance by the councils and authorities to bring authentic Indian and Pakistani cuisine to the capital. The new premises will be comparable in size to the beloved Nawaab Manchester site with a large restaurant and three bespoke banqueting suites. ... The new home of London Nawaab is the historic and much-loved old Hoover building in Perivale, near Wembley. ....





... This 80 year-old Art Deco building is Grade II listed and considered by many to be one of the most iconic structures in London. Art Deco London has even described the old Hoover building as being ‘possibly the finest Art Deco structure in Britain.’ Fittingly, Nawaab London will be based in build No.7 of this structure, the former site of the company’s main canteen. This building is one of the few remnants of the structure that was destroyed after Hoover vacated the property in the early 1980s. The beauty of building No.7 and its status as a Grade II listed building saved it from being demolished."


More images of Building Number 7



















After the war an eighth building was added to the site but over the years Hoover moved a lot of its manufacturing to a new facility in Scotland.  Vacuum cleaner production continued here in Perivale until the 1980s  Hoover continued to use the buildings for a while but in 1989 Tesco purchased the site.  Working with English Heritage they transformed the factory buildings into a supermarket.  Some of the factory buildings were demolished but a great deal of restoration work was done to those buildings that are Grade II Listed.

A walk around the factory in June of 2014

































Across the street from the former factory is a parade of shops with a branch of Lloyds Bank.  The building reflects the style of the factory.



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