Ladbroke Hall

Ladbroke Hall, at No. 85 Barlby Road, W10, is a car factory, now used as offices, built in 1903–4 for the Clement Talbot Company.

The building is constructed of red brick with stone dressings and features a gabled tile roof with a gambrel roof to the central bay. Brick chimney stacks are topped with moulded stone cornices. The design is in the Edwardian Baroque style.

The front elevation presents one storey above a basement, with a 20-window range arranged in a 4:2:4:1:5:2 fenestration pattern. The composition is dominated by a pedimented central bay set slightly forward and flanked by two-bay projections. These projections have Doric corner pilasters supporting pedimented stone dormers topped by urn finials.

The central entrance bay features paired Doric pilasters and a dentilled entablature beneath scrolled brackets that flank corner pilasters supporting a broken segmental pediment. The tympanum is enriched with relief carving of female figures flanking a cartouche. Above this sits a glazing-bar window set within a semi-circular arched architrave with blocked voussoirs. Panelled double doors are set in a segmental-pedimented architrave and are fronted by a porte-cochère with Doric columns flanking a decorative wrought-iron panel.

The remainder of the elevation features a modillioned stone cornice and 15-pane sashes above a stone string course, set over 8-pane sashes. The bays to the right of centre have nipped dormers and 12-pane sashes above a broad stone string course, set over 8-pane sashes.

The rear elevation includes a central bay with a large semi-circular arched window above a doorway with moulded stone architrave.

The interior is notable for its elaborate decorative treatment. An open-well staircase with wrought-iron balustrade is positioned to the right. The entrance hall is accessed by steps flanked by decorative wrought-iron balustrades and features a black and white marble floor with black marble banding and enriched plaster cornice to the dado. The main features throughout are enriched by decorative plasterwork. A cartouche set in a segmental broken pediment sits above panelled half-glazed double doors to the front. A segmental open pediment over a shouldered architrave frames a doorway on the right, whilst a glazed screen with glazing bars and half-glazed double doors, framed by a shouldered architrave, is positioned to the left. Both entrances are set within arched recesses with festooned decoration flanked by Ionic columns supporting an entablature beneath a coffered vaulted ceiling with enriched ribs to the central bay.

Two full-height display halls (running from basement to roof) to the left are approached from the entrance hall via a balcony and stairs with wrought-iron balustrade featuring fleur-de-lys panels to the friezes. Corbels support elliptical iron lattice trusses to the roof. The first display hall is decorated with a roundel in the Art Nouveau style, inscribed 'Sunbeam Talbot Automobile Works 1903' in raised relief, surrounding a festooned wreath and two female figures flanking the company insignia.

The building was erected to serve one of Britain's earliest car factories, established by a syndicate formed to import Clement cars from France. Construction was supervised by Charles Garrard, who had previously worked with Adolphe Clement in France. The high architectural quality reflects the firm's ambitious aspirations. The design specifically included display halls "where visitors will be able to inspect finished cars, chassis, sectioned working models, interesting relics, and accessories."