EPW023233 ENGLAND (1928). Firestone Rubber Tyre Manufactory, Hounslow, 1928

In the late 1970s I was assistant to a photographer who had to photograph the interior of the Firestone factory - it was hot and smelled, not surprisingly of rubber. Apparently the building only took 18 weeks to build. It was a bit of a crime against Art Deco architecture that the building was demolished in 1980 before a protection order was signed.

Looking north, the road is the then-new A4 Great West Road. The GWR's Brentford branch and Grand Union Canal are to the east.

After closure and sale, the Art Deco frontage of Firestone's was criminally and deliberately vandalised by developers over the August 1980 Bank Holiday, just before listing could be put in place to preserve it. Only the fencing and steps originally leading to the entrance fronting the Great West Road remain.

To get an idea of what it looked like completed, have a look here:

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/spw033596?search=inchinnan&ref=26

India of Inchinnan's frontage wasn't quite as grand, but it was the same architect as designed Firestone's, (the owner wanted one like Firestone's) but at least it's survived.