Rootes

Following on from my post about a building set for almost certain demolition, I noticed that the old Rootes Building in Maidstone has just been given Grade II listed status, signalling it is "of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve". In fact, this means that it cannot be altered without consulting English Heritage. According to the Twentieth Century Society, it is "an unusual survival of an elegant 1930s industrial building which was purpose built for one of Britain's most significant motor companies." It was designed in 1937 by Edmund Howard and Ernest Souster, who had previously built facilities for Vauxhall in Luton. It is Art Deco in style, with lots of curved glass, and white faïence walls - including the tower shown in the drawing. Its location by an old millpond on the River Len helps, of course - the reflections on a calm day are almost poetic. The multi-storey garages inside are cavernous, and the roof carries ranks of ventilation stacks. The Rootes Brothers firm was founded in Hawkhurst, where they made bicycles. They later became car dealers and distributers, and gradually aquired the firms in whose products they dealt. By the time the Maidstone building was complete they owned such companies as Singer, Hillman, Humber and Sunbeam. After the war the company slid slowly into decline, and was bought in turn by Chrysler then Peugeot - shedding brands along with its reputation for quality along the way. The Maidstone building survived - unusually it and the dealership remain in the ownership of Peugeot, as opposed to being a franchise operation.