HPL Building, Allesley

Image: © A J Paxton Taken: 15 Oct 2023

This factory with a fine art deco frontage greets travellers approaching Coventry along the A45 from Birmingham. It dates from the late 1930s, according to the Heritage Gateway site https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCT6355&resourceID=1029 and is locally listed; see the Coventry City Council site https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/17245/local_list_of_buildings_of_architectural_or_historic_interest.pdf . It was built for Triumph, the motorcycle manufacturers, for their service division, and was known as the 'Model Garage', according to Dave Gleed, who worked there and is quoted by Our Warwickshire https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/old-standard-triumph-buildings : "I loved my job, working with a great bunch of lads. It was like being in the army again, a band of brothers. I mean, you spend more time with them than with your wives." On reflection, I think the style is more art moderne than art deco, like the Tollgate pub not far away on Holyhead Road in Allesley - a sleek, streamlined style for the new motor roads of the 1930s. The strong horizontal lines, curved corners and glass bricks all suggest art moderne; see the Architectural Styles blog https://architecturestyles.org/art-deco/ .

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0