What's happening with the Gillette Factory?

The Striking Gillette Factory Set for a Glamorous Makeover

The former Gillette factory on the Great West Road in Brentford, West London, is a striking 1930s landmark building that has stood largely empty for over 15 years. Now, exciting plans have been revealed to give this famous site a new lease of commercial life as a “sustainable, state-of-the-art film studio campus”.

The imposing former razor blade factory was designed in the Art Deco style by eminent architect Sir Banister Flight Fletcher. When completed in 1937, its elegant curving frontage and tall central tower became a new landmark at the eastern end of the celebrated “Golden Mile” on the Great West Road.

Gillette operated the Isleworth factory for nearly 70 years until manufacturing was moved overseas in 2006. Various ideas for reusing the site came and went over the next decade, including a luxury hotel scheme that failed to materialise. Then in 2013, the complex was purchased by developers who converted parts of it into film production facilities.

*Update 12/09/24*
A planning application has been submitted for a major film studio expansion near the Gillette Building. The 4.4-hectare project, designed by Gensler for The Vinyl Factory, aims to double digital content creation facilities while preserving heritage buildings. The plan includes new sound stages, production offices, workshops, and a café.

Makeshift Film Studios

Four new sound stages totalling around 63,000 sq ft were created inside the old factory buildings, alongside production offices and workshops. The site’s easy access to central London and Heathrow, as well as the privacy afforded by the secure self-contained site, soon attracted filming for several major movies and TV dramas. These included the 2014 X-Men spin-off Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the 2017 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and the 2020 sci-fi thriller Infinite starring Mark Wahlberg.

But with demand for studio space in the UK rocketing in recent years, fuelled by the boom in high-end film and TV production, the Gillette site’s full potential has been left largely untapped. Now The Vinyl Factory group aims to transform the existing ad hoc facilities into London’s premier film studio campus.

Sustainable Studio Campus

Detailed plans submitted in autumn 2022 propose a major redevelopment to adapt and refurbish multiple buildings across the 4.5 acre brownfield site. The existing sound stages and technical facilities would be revamped and expanded. The overhaul would focus on sustainability, with proposals including on-site solar power, renewable energy sources for heating/cooling, prefabricated new-build elements made from responsibly-sourced materials, and comprehensive smart metering.

The ambitious scheme would see the total sound stage space tripled from 63,000 sq ft to around 150,000 sq ft across at least 10 large stages. State-of-the-art production workshops, offices and support services would be provided alongside.

The aim is to create a flagship studio complex fit for the digital age that acts as “a blueprint for sustainable film infrastructure”. Subject to planning approval, The Vinyl Factory says construction could begin in 2024, with the redeveloped studios potentially opening their doors by 2026.

Boosting Film & Jobs

As well as giving an exciting new lease of life to the landmark former factory, the studio plans are strategically important for UK film. Various recent studies have warned of an acute shortage of studio space to meet rising demand, with an estimated need for at least 2 million sq ft of new sound stage capacity in the coming decade.

The Gillette redevelopment would form a high-profile part of the solution in West London’s “Golden Mile” creative cluster. The site lies nextdoor to Sky Studios and within the Great West Corridor Opportunity Area. Regional authorities aim to create 14,000 new jobs in this designated growth zone, aided by new infrastructure like the planned film studios.

If approved, the studio scheme would undoubtedly bring significant economic benefits and prestige to the local area. It would also write an exciting new chapter for one of London’s most striking 20th century factories, giving the famous Gillette building a glamorous and sustainable future.