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A Tesco next to one of the busiest roads in the country doesn’t sound like a great recommendation, but this particular Tesco is housed in the Hoover Building next to the A40, one of the main routes into the centre of London. In actual fact, the Tesco supermarket is at the back of the building while the main façade that you see as you’re sat in traffic on the A40 has now been converted into apartments.
Designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners and opened in 1933, it was The Hover Company’s head office in the UK and its factory for vacuum cleaner production. The vast façade features sixteen columns, each constructed with a stepped design and huge recessed glass bay windows. In the centre you’ll find the original entrance with a magnificent sunburst pattern bursting from the top.
The Art Deco detail even extends to the metal gate and fence at the front of the building which have an intricate geometric design to them and, directly from the 1925 Paris Exhibition that’s widely considered the start of the Art Deco movement, splashes of Aztec and Mayan inspired colours.
There’s a great quote from Thomas Wallis on the design which we completely agree with ‘A little money spent in the incorporation of some form of decoration, especially colour, is not money wated. It has a psychological effect on the work.’ I think we’d feel slightly more motivated on the production line if we were inside such an iconic and thoughtfully designed building.
While converting the Grade II listed building into apartments, IDM Properties restored many of the original internal Art Deco details including the staircases, light fittings and the terrazzo lobby floors. You can even stay in one of the building’s new apartments, we’ve added the link to book it at the top of this page.
The building is quite easy to get to, either via the A40 of course, or, via a five-minute walk from Perivale Tube Station. It’s a 30-minute tube journey from Oxford Circus to Perivale Tube Station on the Central line. So, if you’re staying in the building it’s reasonably convenient for exploring the rest of the capital.
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