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Summary

The site has its origins in the World War I when it was purchased to create vehicle repair depot. In the 1920's the site was bought from the government by private investors and went on to become the largest business park in Europe under single company ownership.

Monument Type(s):

• INDUSTRIAL SITE (First World War to 21st Century - 1918 AD to 2050 AD)

Description

During the First World War, the War Office chose farmland close to Slough for the location of a military vehicle repair depot. In 1918 the 'Slough Project' was approved by government and 668 hectares of agricultural land was purchased by the War Office for the development of a central military vehicle repair depot. By the end of the war however, the project was still far from complete, but work on site continued. The intention was to repair vehicles for government use or sell them on to the private sector and make a profit. However, progress was slow and the waterlogged site, full of rusting vehicles, became known as 'The Dump'. In 1920 the government sold the 'Slough Project' to a private investor and the Slough Trading Company Ltd. was formed. The investors were Sir Percival Perry and Noel Mobbs, who were successful businessmen with motor trade expertise, who paid the government 7 million for the land, buildings, vehicles and plant - a considerable sum at that time. The investors formed the 'Slough Trading Company Ltd' in May 1920 and the Trading Estate's passenger station was opened in the early 1920's. A trade paper from the time, the 'Motor News', commented 'It will be something of a miracle if they succeed in converting Slough into a money earning concern', although the Slough Observer, on May 15th, commented that the move would create 'The New Slough'. In 1920 Slough Urban District Council extended its boundary to include 312 acres of the Trading Estate which were in the parish of Farnham Royal and parts of Burnham, Stoke Poges and Langley Marsh. In 1926 optimism was justified when the name of the company was changed to Slough Estates Ltd. and the estate was to become the largest business park in Europe under single company ownership <1><2>.

The 1926 OS map shows a range of industrial works and business premises that includes an Electricity Works (or Power Station), a Sweet Factory, St Helens Cable & Rubber Works, a large Chemical Works, a Motor Works, offices and a restaurant and a Fire Station. The Trading Estate was connected to a new road that included Edinburgh Avenue and Buckingham Avenue. New rail links were established. A Trading Estate station was constructed to the southeast with rail lines connecting all the main works with the Great Western line and also linking to a gravel quarry located to the northwest.

By 1932 Slough Trading Estate had expanded further to the south, with new business premises between Buckingham Avenue and Bedford Avenue. A cooling tower and water tower are depicted adjacent to the eastern side of the Electricity Works.

The 1938 OS map shows further expansion of the Trading Estate had occurred to the east and it is apparent from the road layout that further expansion was planned in this area. A second cooling tower is depicted.

On the 1955-1963 OS maps a new engineering works had been constructed to the north of Edinburgh Avenue, with other business premises to the northwest, including a coal yard. South of Edinburgh Avenue, new buildings have been laid out including a gasholder and ancillary buildings replacing the water tower. The power station building appears to have been extended to the east and north.

By the mid-1970s, the railway line along Edinburgh Avenue was fully removed. The power station main building also appears to have been rebuilt in the 1990s, as the 2006 OS map reveals the main building on a slightly different orientation <4>.

<1> CgMs Consulting, 2009, Archaeological Desk Based Assessment - Slough Trading Estate, Slough, Berkshire, Pages 12-13 (Unpublished document). SRM13868.

<2> Slough History Online, Smoke, Steam and (Computor) Chips: Slough Trading Estate - From 'Dump' to 'New Slough' (Website). SRM13879.

<3> CgMs Consulting, 2013, Slough Trading Estate, Slough, Berkshire - Archaeological Impact Assessment (Unpublished document). SRM14896.

<4> URS, 2014, Slough Multifuel Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility - Environmental Statement Vol 1 (Unpublished document). SRM14806.

Sources

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