Hoover Building

The Hoover Building is a Grade II* listed building of Art Deco architecture[1] designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners located in Perivale in the London Borough of Ealing. The site opened in 1933 as the UK headquarters, manufacturing plant and repairs centre for The Hoover Company.[2] The building is now owned by IDM Properties and has been converted into apartments.

Not to be confused with J. Edgar Hoover Building or Herbert C. Hoover Building.
The Hoover Building
The Hoover Building
Location within Greater London
General information
AddressWestern Avenue, UB6 8AT
Town or cityPerivale, Western Greater London
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates51.533611°N 0.318889°W / 51.533611; -0.318889
Groundbreaking1931
Opened2 May 1933
Renovated2018
OwnerIDM Properties
Design and construction
Architecture firmWallis, Gilbert and Partners
DesignationsGrade II* listed
Website
https://hooverbuilding-ub6.com

History

The main building was opened in May 1933 by Lord Rochdale[3] as the UK headquarters for The Hoover Company. This was designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners[4] - the same firm that designed the Firestone Tyre Factory in Brentford and Victoria Coach Station in Central London.[5] Thomas Wallis said of the Art Deco design: ’A little money spent in the incorporation of some form of decoration, especially colour, is not money wasted. It has a psychological effect on the worker.’[6]

Western tower of the Hoover Building

Soon after the main building was built, plans were drawn up for a manufacturing plant. As demand for Hoover vacuum cleaners began to grow, the factory was extended in the mid-thirties increasing the space to 254,000 square feet.[3] A two-storey extension was added to the manufacturing plant and another factory was built behind the original building.[5] In 1938, a canteen and recreation centre were completed to the west of the site.[7] It was referred to in the press at this time as a 'Modern Palace of Industry', in contrast to the older factories in the north of England. The firm welcomed visitors to look around the factory.[3]

During its heyday in the 1930s, 1,600 people were employed at the site, which was considered a model factory with regards to worker welfare.[2]

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."[8]

During the Second World War the factory was used to manufacture aircraft parts. Vacuum cleaners were still produced at the site, but at a lower output than previously. The buildings were camouflaged to avoid being bombed by German aircraft. The building's staff set up their own Home Guard unit.[9] After the war, which the building survived, another extension was added - a five-storey building to the north of the site.[5]

In 1980 the main building[10] and in 1981 the canteen building[11] were granted a Grade II* listing. The site was described in the list entry as ‘possibly the most significant arterial road factory of its date, and one of the most attractive.’[6]

The main building
The original entrance to the main building
The original staircase in the main building
The present day Tesco supermarket housed in the building

In 1989 the supermarket chain Tesco purchased the Hoover Building and sixteen of the seventeen houses that backed onto the Hoover site.[7] The northern parts of the factory site were demolished to make way for a supermarket and the main building was repaired and refurbished to create office space. [2]

After several years of sitting vacant, IDM Properties acquired the Hoover Building in 2015, with plans to redevelop the building into residential accommodation.[12]

In 2017 work commenced to convert the main building into 66 studio, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments,[13] with the addition of a new top floor. This was completed in 2018 by IDM Properties[12] and Interrobang.[14]

Design

The ambitious design took on a grand, palatial facade of huge columns and recessed glass bay windows, but the most iconic feature was the central entrance which was decorated above with a dramatic, geometric sunburst pattern, which sat beneath the huge “Hoover Limited” lettering.[15]

Redevelopment

The comprehensive renovation by IDM Properties focused on the conservation of the historic fabric and the insertion of a new timber structure, maximising the number of new homes that could be created.[2]

The timber structure forms a mezzanine within the double-height ground floor, creating 14 maisonettes with full-height, Crittall steel windows. The original staircase leads to 21 flats on the first floor and 31 on the second. Many on the second floor have private terraces overlooking the lawn. The 12 flats at the new third floor, each with their own spiral stair entrance, have been created by replacing the old fibre-cement and steel roof with a zinc standing seam with large rooflights. Two maisonettes incorporate the listed staircases in the two towers that bookend the façade.[6]

Internally, many of the original Art Deco features have been refurbished . The building's original colour scheme is reflected in new Art Deco-style corridors with green interiors and high-waisted dado rails. The light fittings, staircases with wrought-iron banisters and terrazzo lobby floors have all been restored.[6]

In 1980 Elvis Costello recorded a song called "Hoover Factory". It includes a brief description of the building and its position in Greater London. It first appeared on the B-Side of the 1980 "Clubland" single,[16] and can now be found as an "extended play" bonus track on the CD reissue of the album Get Happy!!.[17] The Hoover Building was also used twice as a filming location for episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot, "The Dream" and "The King of Clubs".[18][19]

See also

References
  1. "Residential conversion of iconic grade II* listed Hoover Building". www.ellis-miller.com. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  2. "Interrobang converts London's landmark Hoover Building into apartments". Dezeen. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  3. Leary, Gemma. "Other notable buildings". www.ealing.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  4. Lisa Mullen (6 November 2007). "Seven wonders of London: Hoover Building". Time Out. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  5. GetWestLondon (30 June 2010). "Retro: Dusting off the history of the Hoover building". getwestlondon. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  6. "Spring clean: Interrobang completes renovation of Hoover factory". Architects Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. The Hoover Factory, Greater London. "The Hoover Factory, Greater London". Modernistbritain.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  8. John Betjeman, English Architecture, Penguin 1974 p.98
  9. "The Hoover Building". Historic buildings. Ealing Council. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  10. Historic England. "Main Front Block to Hoover Factory (1079353)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
  11. Historic England. "Canteen Block to Hoover Factory (1079361)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
  12. "IDM Properties".
  13. "The Hoover Building - IDM Properties". idmproperties.com. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  14. "The Hoover Building". www.interrobang.london. Interrobang. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  15. "The Hoover Building - IDM Properties". IDM Properties. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  16. "Elvis Costello And The Attractions Discography - UK - 45cat". www.45cat.com. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  17. "Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!!". Discogs. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  18. Rohrer, Finlo (15 November 2013). "Goodbye to the splendid 1930s world of Poirot". BBC News. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  19. "Homes Used In Poirot Episodes - Chimni Wiki". www.chimni.com. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
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