Firestone Tyre Factory
A landmark Art Deco factory on London’s Great West Road, designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners for American tire manufacturer Firestone in 1928.
At a glance
The Firestone Tyre Factory stands as one of the earliest modernist industrial buildings in the London suburbs. Built across a 26-acre site in Brentford, it was the second factory to open on the Great West Road, arriving just a year after Hudson-Essex Motors of Great Britain Limited. The building exemplifies the optimism and industrial innovation of interwar Britain.
History
The factory opened in October 1928, commissioned by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company to serve the expanding British market. Its construction marked a turning point in suburban development along the Great West Road, a corridor that would become synonymous with 1920s and 1930s industrial expansion into West London.
What you see
Designed by the renowned partnership Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, the factory embraces the Art Deco aesthetic with modernist principles. The architects brought sophisticated design sensibilities to industrial architecture, creating a structure that balanced functional manufacturing space with elegant stylistic details characteristic of the era’s forward-thinking approach to modern design.
Cultural significance
The Firestone Tyre Factory represents a crucial moment in British modernism, when American corporate investment and International Style architecture began reshaping the suburban landscape. It stands as testimony to the interwar period’s belief that industrial production could be allied with architectural distinction and urban planning.
Key facts
- Country: United Kingdom
- City: London Borough of Hounslow
- Location: Brentford, Great West Road
- Completed: October 1928
- Architects: Wallis, Gilbert and Partners
- Site area: 26 acres
- Coordinates: 51.48497222, -0.32186111
Practical information & getting there
The Firestone Tyre Factory is located on the Great West Road in Brentford, accessible by public transport from central London. For current visiting information and opening hours, contact local heritage organizations or the London Borough of Hounslow.
Sources & resources
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