Oakcroft Road Factories

Parnall Aircraft Factory

Parnall Aircraft Factory was in Oakcroft Road and may have been indirectly responsible for Chessington/Tolworth being heavily targetted by German bombs during WWII - as it made gun turrets for aircraft. The entrance to the site was through large gates on the residential road of Oakcroft Villas and local residents and factory staff had to show a sentry their Identity Cards before being allowed through after 7pm

Factory staff would spend their lunchbreak by walking over the hill that is now Sanger Avenue, or sitting at the top with a view for miles while eating their lunches. The hill was very sandy and nothing much grew on it and would have been part of the Gosbury Hall Estate.

In the yard of what is now BSS Pipe Warehouse a community air raid shelter was built for the factory workers and local people. My father remembers one man who used it every night always took his guitar along with him and sung the same song "Among My Souvenirs" nightly without fail, to a mixed reception!

The factory eventually moved to Yate near Bristol.

Gun turrets were also made by Nash & Thompson

During the war the factory got ready for a VIP visit by the Duke of Kent - workers remember the whole place getting a spit and polish, they even had new (clean) overalls, however there was disappointment in the Drawing Office when the Duke walked straight through without acknowledging the staff

Factories/Warehouses

In recent years the emphasis has turned from manufacturing to other industrial uses, with the factory buildings being used more often as warehouses than factories.

As they are modernised the old style buildings are disappearing, such as this one on the corner of Oakcroft and Cox Lane, whose tall metal chimney will not be missed as it was something of an eyesore. When the chimney was felled in December 2002 the neighbouring houses seemed to lift from the ground with the shockwaves. The occupants, Northamber, moved to other premesis on the Jubilee Way/Davis Road factory estate

3 views of Northamber just before demolition in Dec 2002

In December 2001 the building was used as a temporary post sorting office for the Christmas post, with local residents missing out on sleep in the nights before Christmas due to the noisy night working and excessive illumination of the building and portacabins. The new "Metalflake" warehouse building was a bit of a shock when the size of it became evident during construction, the scale had been difficult to imagine on the plans, however it brought a certain style to the estate.

the new Metalflake warehouse in Dec 03

and this one, Futurama which I believe made fruit machines, on the junction of Oakcroft Villas and Oakcroft Road, which was demolished in 2000 to make room for a purpose built brick and glass building, the square one shown in the photo below

Coming soon: photo of Futurama

Gala Factory

The Gala cosmetics factory on Hook Rise South manufactured Gala, Outdoor Girl, Mary Quant cosmetics. Gala cosmetics had a distintive rose logo. Staff could buy a brown paper bag of mixed make-up for 10p and local events such as bring and buy sales always had a good range of donated cosmetics as a result

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