The Gillette Factory, built in 1936–1937 at the junction of Great West Road and Syon Lane (now known as Gillette Corner), was an iconic Art Deco industrial and office building developed as the European headquarters and manufacturing base for the American razor maker Gillette. It was designed by architect Sir Banister Fletcher and became one of the most distinctive landmarks on Brentford’s Golden Mile of inter-war industrial architecture.
The structure’s dramatic presence was anchored by a 150-foot clock tower and a meticulously balanced brick and Portland stone façade, which gave the factory standout visibility from the busy arterial road. When it opened in 1937, it embodied both the functional needs of large-scale manufacture and a confident architectural statement suited to a major multinational company.
For much of the 20th century, the building operated as Gillette’s European manufacturing hub, producing razors, blades and related products for the UK and wider markets. Its prominence was such that the surrounding road junction took on the name Gillette Corner in recognition of its presence.
After nearly 70 years of operation, production at the site ceased in 2006 when Gillette moved its manufacturing overseas. Over the past decade the Grade II-listed building has been repurposed as film studios under the banner 180 Studios which has recently secured planning permission to create a creative production campus and mixed-use space that honours the building’s historic exterior while giving it new life for the 21st century.
Today the Gillette Factory remains a striking example of 1930s industrial modernism in West London, symbolic of the era when major global firms started investing in architecture as part of their corporate identity along Golden Mile London.