One of the most striking Art Deco buildings in the country was built in 1932 as a factory and offices for the Hoover Company. It was designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners and is easily seen as you drive into London on the A40 just before the Hangar Lane Giratory. It is built with a special concrete which stays white despite the ravages of the British weather and is a stunning landmark. It is astonishingly beautiful even though it is a factory – so it goes into my seven wonders.

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The company continued to manufacture vacuum cleaners there until the 1980s. There was concern about the condition of the structure as the steel frame supporting the concrete rusted and pushed apart the concrete. It is listed as a Grade one building and bought by Tesco in 1989 and they have successfully restored the frontage and the canteen using a pioneering re-alkalisation technique ensuring that the future of the building is assured.

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