The Bottle Factory

Tucked just off the Old Kent Road in south east London, The Bottle Factory occupies a pair of Victorian warehouses originally built for J. Mills & Sons' bottling works, with the earliest section dating to 1895 and the main factory completed by 1914.

The buildings operated as a bottling plant for nearly a century before later use as a furniture manufacturer, and were added to the Glengall Road Conservation Area in 2019, protecting them from demolition and paving the way for restoration.

Developer Fabrix has since transformed the site into a 30,000 square foot creative campus, home to a growing community of makers and small businesses, including Thames Distillers, one of London's oldest gin producers, run from an on-site bar and distillery.

Flexible studio, workshop and event spaces throughout the complex retain the exposed brick, polished quoins and industrial character of the original buildings, and the site regularly hosts exhibitions and events as part of London Design Festival and local community programmes.

For parties and conferences looking for genuine south London industrial heritage rather than a generic warehouse conversion, The Bottle Factory offers a setting with real history behind it.