1.60a to d & K82 Third Avenue, premises of Loblite Ltd

Block 1.60a to d and K82. This is a standard block of four "nursery" factories on Third Avenue occupied by Loblite, an electrical accessories company established at the Team Valley Trading Estate in 1939 by the German-Jewish refugee brothers Fritz S and Robert Loebl. One of the few surviving first-generation factories on the estate, still with its original occupiers. The factories on the Team Valley were designed to be ‘straight-line’ in character, and were constructed of standard cement-brick on light steel frames, with flat, clerestorey roofs, and additional light provided by plentiful side windows. These buildings are some of the earliest nursery factory units designed as part of two pairs for the TVTE, and the ones that seem best preserved in terms of design and appearance. They are of simple, streamlined industrial design, built in functional brick with large metal windows. The only distinguishing architectural features are the canopied entrances with angular piers, one of which retains green glazed tiling, and a concrete string course to the top of the windows. The cast iron rainwater goods are still present in all their utilitarian glory. Although architecturally modest these buildings represent an important phase in the industrial and social history of the region as well as in functional architecture. They had previously been in separate ownership, with a bakery to the northern building and the electrical works to the southern (5th edition OS), however the electrical works expanded from the southern pair of buildings into the northern pair, with the eastern two being the works and the western ones being warehousing. (6th edition OS). This company, Loblite, utilized the premises until very recently, when they contracted into adjacent premises, so that the buildings now stand empty. MATERIALS Brick, concrete(?), metal DATES 1937-9 LOCAL LIST