See what's changed at Slough's Horlicks Factory housing site

Developer Berkeley Homes invited the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) to tour around the “unique” site in Stoke Poges Lane to see the latest updates. The last time the LDRS looked around was in October 2020.

The Horlicks Factory back in October 2020. Credit: Simon Winson (Image: Simon Winson)

Scaffolding surrounded the iconic chimney back in October 2020. Credit: Simon Winson (Image: Simon Winson)

Berkeley bought the factory shortly after it closed in 2018 after 110 years of producing the malted milk drink. It is currently building 576 apartments and will later erect over 700 flats and homes.

READ MORE: "Colossal" 701 homes plan at Slough's Horlicks Factory site approved

Within the factory itself, 161 one and two-bedroom flats, as well as three-bedroom duplex penthouses, are being built. The apartments are still under construction and scaffolding within the 1908 building is still up, but the shells of the homes have been erected.

What a typical two-bedroom apartment would look like in the Horlicks Factory (Image: James Bagley)

What a typical kitchen in the Horlicks Factory would look like (Image: James Bagley)

Most importantly, what a typical bathroom will look like (Image: James Bagley)

However, the apartments are for sale ranging from £282,500 to £400,000 – with the duplex penthouses, that come with a view of Windsor Castle, costing about £660,000. Berkeley said the first apartments are due for competition in early 2023 but could be sooner than that.

On the ground floor of the five-storey factory, a gym, a games room, and cinema room will be placed for the community to use along with internal landscaping that includes trees. Windows have been placed on the rooftop to allow natural sunlight into that area and along with a glass elevator to get to the roof.

Inside the Horlicks Factory (Image: James Bagley)

Photo taken from the ground floor looking onto the roof (Image: James Bagley)

Dave Taylor giving a presentation to the press in front of a model of the site (Image: James Bagley)

Speaking to the LDRS, Dave Taylor, design director at Berkeley Homes, said the original steel columns and beams within the factory have been kept and repainted to keep the factory’s history.

“It gives you a nod back to what this factory would have been like when it was first built,” he said.

The steel columns and beams have been maintained to keep the factory's history intact (Image: James Bagley)

This is the same for the original clock tower, the office entrance, the grade II listed war memorial, and the iconic chimney, which have been kept and maintained. The original lettering above the building has been replaced with new signage due to “structural issues,” but could be placed around the site.

The Horlick's roof where the original lettering has been replaced (Image: James Bagley)

READ MORE: Slough's iconic red Horlicks lettering to stay at the site

Just outside, the Darjeeling House, Artesian House, and Aquifer House have been completed and are currently for sale. Residents have even moved into some of the flats.

Outside the Horlicks Factory. To the left are Aquifer House, the chimney (centre), and Darjeeling House to the right. Credit: Huw Evans (Image: Huw Evans)

The last time the LDRS visited the site in 2020, the three blocks were only halfway built. According to Berkeley, nearly 100 residents have moved in, and 148 flats have been sold to investors and homeowners.

Little touches inside and outside the flats echo some of the factory’s history ranging from the lighting to the kitchen racks. Memorabilia, such as old posters and Horlick cans, can be seen in the new market unit beside the development.

The completed kitchen at the Darjeeling House (Image: James Bagley)

What a bedroom in the Darjeeling House will look like (Image: James Bagley)

What a bathroom will look like in the Darjeeling House (Image: James Bagley)

While affordable housing has been delivered at the site with more soon to be built as part of phase two, it is still below the council’s 30 per cent policy.

Mr Taylor said: “We could have gone down the viability route, which is what happens to a lot of developments nowadays, but it was a key driver for the council to see it as a mixed-use development.

“So, we had to work harder to push the bits to the side to make sure we can afford to add affordable housing.”

The site also boasts a completed public garden with natural spring water flowing through the site where it will eventually make it to Clocktower Place, beside the iconic chimney.

This is where a café and a fountain with water jets for everyone to enjoy will be placed. Other units include a nursery and a work-from-home hub on the top floor of the factory along with a rooftop garden.

The rooftop where a communal garden and a work-from-home hub will be placed (Image: James Bagley)

Model of the major site (Image: James Bagley)

Other retail units are to be built across the site, but Mr Taylor said it was “too early” to know what type of businesses or brands will move into the space.

He said: “We got quite a number of people interested in the nursery itself. I think because the site is so unique, that’s what is drawing people in here.”

It is unknown exactly when the remaining 701 homes will be built but it will be sometime after 2024.