Carreras ‘Black Cat’ factory, Camden
Town
Catching a
glimpse of the Black cat building on a recent episode of The Apprentice
reminded me that I have been meaning to write about it for a while. Frequently
pointed out to me as a child (iconic part of Camden’s social history blah,
blah…) I was, naturally, unimpressed. As an adult I can now appreciate its
social and architectural importance and am delighted to see it looking as good in
2016 as it did in its proud heyday. 
With its eye-catching frontage extending for more than 500 feet along Hampstead Road
, and some of the most stunning Art deco features seen anywhere in London, the
former Carreras ‘Black Cat’ cigarette factory – though certainly not to
everyone’s taste – is a very special building. Until 1926 the site on which it
stands was occupied by communal gardens which formed part of much sought-after
Mornington Crescent. Dating from the 1820s, the crescent was named after the
Earl of Mornington, the Duke of Wellington’s brother, and provided homes for
professional people conveniently close to town. The coming of Arcadia
Works, as the cigarette manufacturers Carreras called their new premises in
1926-28, (replacing a previous smaller factory on City Road) radically changed
the face of the area. 
Cigarette smoking
had grown in popularity following the Great War and Carreras were the first
company to introduce cork filter tips and offer gift coupons in packets. The origins
of Carreras are unclear, but Charles Dickens refers to the poor Spanish
residents clustered around Somers Town in Bleak
House and census data reveals generations of tobacco traders in the area
bearing the name for almost a century before. The ‘Black Cat’ brand was central
to the company’s image by the 20s, and with Egyptian being the tobacco of
choice, the theme of the building was an obvious choice. 
The design of the
building was inspired by Howard Carter's 1922 expedition to uncover the tomb of
Tutankhamun. It comprises a central block of 13 bays with two lower wings of
eight bays either side. The bays within the central section are separated by
columns with Egyptian-stylised capitals featuring maroon, green and sky-blue
detailing. Above, the company name 'Carreras' is spelt out in raised
Egyptian-style lettering and reliefs on either side show the face of Bastet,
the feline goddess of protection, in circular recesses. Standing guard over the
entrance are two 8.5 feet-high black cats. In the evenings coloured lights
illuminated the frontage.
The factory’s
opening in 1928 caused quite a stir - the pavement in front of the building was
covered with sand (to imitate Egyptian beaches, I guess), actors in Egyptian
regalia performed dramatics and a chariot race was even held along Hampstead Road!
The new works was proclaimed to be the world’s most advanced, and was the first
in Britain to make use of pre-stressed concrete and the radical technologies of
air conditioning and dust extraction. At its peak, the factory employed over
3,500 people.
Carreras
employees generally enjoyed a happy working environment. In interviews
conducted as part of Camden History Society’s millennium project Catching the Past, ex-employees talk of
the benefits they enjoyed, such as subsidised lunches, sports tournaments, a ‘Miss
Carreras’ beauty competition and an active C.A.T.S – the Carreras Amateur
Theatrical Society. Colour-coded uniform collars ensured that workers did not
stray from their correct floor on the eight-storey complex and there was a ban
on all cosmetics for fear they might taint the tobacco. Yet Carreras employees
maintained lifelong loyalty to the firm. Maybe employers turned a blind eye to
the widely-known fact that some of the girls often smuggled out fags in their
knickers at the end of a shift….!
Change was on the cards, however. In 1958 production moved to Basildon in
Essex. Around two thirds of the staff took up the offer of resettlement there,
commuting back to Camden Town until the factory’s closure. In the 1960s the
huge building was taken over by the GLC who, as well as renaming it Greater
London House, also stripped out all its Egyptian features, by then out of
fashion, in an attempt to give it a simpler, more Modernist appearance. One of the original black cat statues
went to Basildon, the other to the company’s factory in Jamaica. In the 90s the
building became a business centre and most of its original Art Deco features
were restored, including replicas of the famous cats. With supreme irony, one
of the businesses currently occupying the restored building is the British
Heart Foundation.
References:
The King’s England: Arthur Mee’s London (1937)
Hidden Treasures of London Michael McNay (2015)
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