2025 Summer of Festivals – The London Architecture Festival / Brentford Golden Mile 100

JC Decaux building 

Celebrating the centenary of the Golden Mile

The London Festival of Architecture is celebrating its 21st year this year with a month of events, 1 – 30 June, all round London.

One of its key destinations this year is Brentford’s Golden Mile, celebrating the Great West Road’s centenary with a programme of events highlighting its economic importance, rich legacy of industrial innovation, and iconic architecture.

The road was opened in 1925 in order to bypass the notoriously congested Brentford High Street and many of the Art Deco buildings of the period remain.

Hudson 1934 Terraplane Tourer built by Hudson-Essex Motors

Motor industry an important part of west London’s economic history

Hudson-Essex Motors was the first factory built in the area, opening in 1926. Smith’s Potato Crisps Ltd opened in 1927; the factory was rebuilt and expanded in 1930 with a colonnaded frontage.

The following year the Firestone Tyre Company was added, designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, who were responsible for many Art Deco buildings in the UK in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Hoover factory in Perivale.

The motor industry has played a significant part in the historyof the area, Cllr Guy Lambert wrote in his recent guest blog for The Chiswick Calendar; a legacy which still persists to this day, with car showrooms for every company from Peugot and Citroen to Wolseley, Jaguar Land Rover and Maserati represented along the Great West Road today.

READ ALSO: The changing face of car brands in Brentford and Chiswick

Firestone Tyre Factory

The 100th anniversary celebrations were launched on Friday 30 May at the Potting Shed in Boston Manor Park, with the newly elected Mayor of Hounslow, Chiswick councillor Amy Croft and Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Tom Bruce in attendance.

The programme includes Great West Road cycling tours and immersive screenings at the iconic Gillette Factory, hands-on design workshops and talks inside landmark buildings like the SEGA and JCDecaux sites.

See the full programme of events here: London Architecture Festival / Brentford Golden Mile

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar