Slough
Born from WWI vehicle depot 1920. Slough Trading Estate became Europe's largest business park. Mars, O2, Blackberry HQs. Betjeman wrote 'Come friendly bombs' (1937). The Office set here.
Slough exists because Britain needed somewhere to sell surplus military vehicles. After World War I, the government designated the town as a depot for disposing of army trucks and equipment. The Slough Trading Estate, established in 1920, became one of Europe's first business parks—converting military infrastructure to civilian use.
The location was strategic: equidistant between London and the West, on the Great Western Railway main line. Companies that arrived to buy vehicles stayed to manufacture. By the 1930s, Slough had attracted Mars (confectionery), Horlicks, and countless engineering firms. The trading estate expanded to become Europe's largest, hosting over 400 businesses.
John Betjeman's 1937 poem 'Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!' expressed metropolitan disdain for industrial modernity. The town became shorthand for soulless development—a reputation reinforced by The Office, which set Wernham Hogg's fictional despair here.
But Slough's fundamentals remain strong. Heathrow Airport sits 4 miles away. The M4 motorway and Great Western Railway provide connections. Major employers include O2, Blackberry, and Segro (which manages much of the trading estate). The town's diversity—140 languages spoken—reflects global connections.
By 2026, Slough tests whether proximity to London and Heathrow can overcome decades of reputational damage from poets and sitcom writers.