Hoover Factory, Art Deco Building London, Perivale Property Photos, 1930s Design, Architect

Hoover Factory London

Famous London Art Deco Building, England by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners Architects

27 Jun 2009

Hoover Factory

The Hoover Factory & Office Building, Perivale, Middlesex, England, UK
Date built: 1932
Architects: Wallis, Gilbert and Partners

photos © Nick Weall

Possibly the finest Art Deco structure in Britain.

photos © Nick Weall

Building immortalised in Elvis Costello song “Hoover Factory”

photos © Nick Weall

Address: Western Avenue, Perivale, Greenford, Middlesex, UB6 8DW

Contact The Old Hoover Building: 0845 677 9308

The Hoover Building

The Hoover Building on Western Avenue (A40) in Perivale, West London, is an example of Art Deco architecture designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners (1932-38).

Hoover Building, Canteen Building No.7
It was built for The Hoover Company in 1933, and was designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners.

John Betjeman described it as, “a sort of Art Deco Wentworth Woodhouse – with whizzing window curves derived from Erich Mendelsohn’s work in Germany, and splashes of primary colour from the Aztec and Mayan fashions at the 1925 Paris Exhibition.”

During the Second World War the Hoover Factory manufactured electrical equipment for aircraft and tanks. The factory operated 24 hours a day, with employees working shifts. The buildings were repainted and camouflaged with netting to avoid being spotted and bombed by German aircraft. During the blitz a lookout post was set up on the roof, and was manned by members of the sales force who were too old for active service. The Hoover Company organised an evacuation scheme, and sent children of employees to live at the homes of Hoover staff in Canada.

After the Second World War an additional five-storey building (No.8) was built and stood to the north of the site alongside building No.5. Hoover continued manufacturing upright cleaners at the Hoover Building until the early 1980s when production was moved to the Cambuslang facility. The office remained open at the site for a few more years until it too was eventually closed and Hoover left the site. The building remained empty for many years, slowly falling into disrepair.

In 1980 the original Hoover Building and in 1981 the canteen block were granted a Grade II* listing.
Source: wikipedia

Location: Western Avenue, Perivale, UB6 8DW

London, England, UK