As part of OPDC's ongoing activity and engagement with businesses in Park Royal, a number of the team went on a tour arrange by SEGRO to meet a number of the diverse and interesting businesses that are located within London's largest industrial area.
Park Royal's hidden gems
In November 2017, a few of the OPDC team, were lucky enough to explore a number of the hidden gems in Park Royal as we were taken on a tour by some of SEGRO’s business tenants.
Martin, who lead the tour, has worked in Park Royal for over 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge on the history and heritage of the site and its iconic businesses. We’re looking forward to talking to him a lot more in the coming few months as we continue to develop our Great Place Scheme project, which is supported by Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
First stop on the tour was the Victoria Road Estate and what looked like a nondescript grey warehouse from the outside, but once inside we found ourselves in an ornate replica red and gold Victorian Theatre – even the walls had been painted with an audience. It is home to ETC (Electric Theatre Controls), a company that produces lighting systems for theatres and music venues around the globe. The theatre décor is just for fun, and apparently the owner of the company carves each panel himself as a hobby in his free time!
ETC have been in Park Royal for 21 years and as well as making and distributing the lighting equipment all over the world, they also provide free training on their systems so that freelance operators can stay up-to-date with the latest technology.
Next we crossed the road and went into a small but busy kitchen with three chefs who were preparing dim sum for Urban Cow – a catering company who also own the two Firecracker restaurants in central London.
The owner explained that they source their ingredients directly from local farms, as well as from nearby Chinese supermarkets, so being in Park Royal with easy access both into and out of London is a great location for them. While there we sampled some delicious dumplings and warming green tea with ginger which was just what we needed on a cold November morning!
Onto the next stop, Maxlight, in their shiny new home on the estate. They produce high quality glass sliding doors with very slim profile frames that allow in maximum light for residential use. They have been in the area for 3 years, but have just moved into this new premises several weeks ago. This move has enabled them to install two new powerful suction cranes for moving the incredibly heavy, and delicate, pieces of glass.
Our exploring didn't stop there, next our senses were given a real treat of Farley Prop Hire, a family run company that has been going since 1962. Once again, hidden behind an unassuming exterior is a real treasure trove of antiques, artwork and accessories. Francesca Farley, the granddaughter of the original owner, showed us around the vast maze of rooms, organised by historical era and geographical location.
Their wares are displayed set-up in rooms rather than on shelves or racks, so it really feels like you’ve entered another world! Farley are well known in the TV and film industry, and their props have featured in Downton Abbey, Murder on the Orient express, Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Gladiator to name but a few.
The company employs a full-time upholsterer, two carpenters and one French polisher to keep the furniture in good condition, and they also have freelance marble and metal-workers on call. Park Royal is known in the industry as “Prop-land” because many of the big prop houses are based here. Being so close together is good for business, as they all have different specialisms and their clients - buyers, stylists and Art directors - can visit several businesses in one trip.
Our final stop of the day was Mash Purveyors on the new Origin Business Park. The Head of Facilities for the company showed us around the warehouse which distributes high quality vegetables to some of the finest restaurants in London. We were shown everything from ten different types of potatoes to purple carrots, garlic flowers and rare truffles, available in small, seasonal batches.
The building also houses a call centre where chefs are able to call in and place their orders late at night or in the early hours of the morning. This means orders can be made and be ready for dispatch and delivery by 7.00am the following day. At busy times it can get quite heated as chefs try to haggle for the best produce for their clients.
During our tour, we were told about Mash Purveyor’s inspiring waste initiatives. They produce their own chips on-site and leftover bits of potato are collected by one of the farmers who supplies them with produce and it is then recycled back into compost. Other initiatives include the chairs in their foyer made out of recycled artichoke fibres from a supplier in Greece and at the end of each day they give away any food that hasn’t been bought to local food banks.
It was an incredible day visiting all these fascinating businesses and finding out more about just a snippet of the variety of activities and industries going on behind closed doors in Park Royal.
Watch this space for more opportunities to uncover hidden Park Royal over the coming months as we develop our Great Places Scheme programme and continue to go through the proverbial key hole of the many businesses and industries in the area.