Simmonds Aerocessories Factory (1936–1942) is a major Art Deco industrial building on the Great West Road, originally constructed as the headquarters and works for Simmonds Aerocessories Ltd, a British engineering and aeronautical accessories manufacturer. It formed one of the later additions to the ‘Golden Mile’ — the celebrated stretch of inter-war factory architecture along what was then a new arterial route out of London.
Designed and built between 1936 and 1942 by the influential architectural practice Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, the building paired functional industrial spaces with striking modernist style characteristic of the period. Its most distinctive feature was its tall central tower, capped by a sculptural figure titled Inspiration to Flight, symbolising aviation and innovation — a theme fitting for a company supplying components and equipment to aircraft manufacturers and other industries.
During its early decades, the Simmonds works supported both production and administrative functions for the company, contributing to Britain’s aeronautical supply network in the lead-up to and throughout the Second World War. After 1947 the building changed hands, first becoming offices for British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and later for Beecham’s Pharmaceuticals / Smithkline Beecham as manufacturing in Brentford declined.
Today the former Simmonds Factory survives as a Grade II-listed landmark known as Wallis House, having been restored and converted into residential apartments. This adaptive-reuse preserves the building’s architectural legacy while anchoring part of the broader regeneration of Brentford’s riverside quarter — a testament to its enduring place in West London’s industrial and architectural history.