A Tour Along the Great West Road, Brentford
A Tour Along the Great West Road, Brentford
Thinking of locating your office in the heart of Greater London? Many businesses are flocking to Brentford, an urban district situated in West London in the London Borough of Hounslow. The Great West Road running through Brentford in particular is a prime business district, home to a number of blue chip organisations and landmark office buildings.
With such a diverse mix of different office space types including co-working, open plan and serviced office opportunities, it is no wonder the Great West Road has become such a coveted commercial location. Interested to learn more about the history and importance of this road? Read on!
A trip along the Great West Road
The main road running between London and Bristol is the A4, also known as the Great West Road. Built in 1925, the road runs a fairly direct path between the two cities, with a journey time of two hours and 30 minutes over 126.64 miles (providing you choose not to stop off along the way). Something you may find a challenge once you discover just what lies along the route!
Key stops en route are Bristol, Bath, Corsham, Avebury, Hungerford, Newbury, Reading and Windsor, so it is clear to see that coming out of Central London, this is certainly not a road to nowhere, and rather a crucial piece of transport infrastructure.
Zoning back in on its route out of the Capital, the Great West Road begins as New Fetter Lane in the City of London. Joining Fleet Street, the one-time national newspaper district, the road makes its way west through the City of Westminster, passing the Royal Courts of Justice, the Savoy Theatre and Charing Cross railway station.
From here it heads on to Piccadilly, then through Trafalgar Square and on to Regent Street, ducking under a tunnel at Hyde Park Corner and into Knightsbridge and then Kensington and Chelsea. Passing the Victoria and Albert Museum and Natural History Museum, the A4 continues through Hammersmith, reaching Chiswick and the Borough of Hounslow where it is known as Hogarth Lane, then becomes the Great West Road again not long before reaching Brentford. And it’s here at Brentford where we’ll alight and take a look around.
Big names on the Great West Road in Brentford
The Golden Mile, 2.4 miles of the Great West Road heading from Gillette Corner to Chiswick roundabout, is the setting for around 450 businesses employing in the region of 24,000 workers. It is a crucial economic asset for Hounslow and London in general.
There are a number of well-known organisations that have chosen to make Brentford’s Great West Road their headquarters.
GlaxoSmithKline plc, the British multinational pharmaceutical company, has been a resident since 2000.
JCDecaux, the multinational advertising corporation founded in France in 1964, set up its UK office in 1984, soon becoming the market leader in outdoor advertising. The company now occupies the Grade II listed Art Deco style building that was originally built as a factory in the mid-1930s.
Global engineering company WorleyParsons and the University of West London are also residents of this major road.
Beautiful buildings on Brentford’s Great West Road
In the 15 years that followed the building of the Great West Road in 1925, an array of Art Deco factories were commissioned using leading architects. A number of them were designed by Wallis, Gilbert & Partners, often destined to become hubs for American manufacturing companies such as cosmetics giant Coty and tyre manufacturer Firestone, together with Macleans toothpaste and Smith’s Potato Crisps.
Whilst some of the factories have sadly been flattened, including the Firestone factory constructed in 1928 which was razed to the ground over a weekend before it could get listed by the authorities, many of them still remain and are worth a tour if you appreciate early 20th century architecture.
Brentford landmarks on the Great West Road
Notable landmarks abound in Brentford around the Great West Road area.
Syon House, the Greater London home of the Duke of Northumberland, is a sprawling mansion and park, some of which has become a nature reserve. The estate boasts a hotel, a garden centre and a visitor centre.
Boston Manor Park is a large public park featuring woodland and open space. Created in 1924 from part of the historic 17th century Boston Manor, the park covers 28 acres and sports a canal side which is a designated Nature Conservation Area. The manor house is open for special events and tours.
Boston Manor Park adjoins the Grand Union Canal, part of the British canal system. This is a major waterway, running from London to Birmingham, traversing 137 miles and featuring 166 locks.
Office Space along Great West Road, Brentford
There is ample choice when it comes to setting up an office on the Great West Road in Brentford TW8. The Mille is a recently refurbished landmark building offering modern working options, centrally located between Central London and Heathrow.
If your tour along the Great West Road has inspired you to settle here, why not talk to one of our sole agents to arrange a viewing at The Mille?