The British Munitions Supply Company Factory

The photograph features the factory’s administrative building with an Italian-style corner tower. This building, separate from the factory, housed the dining hall and kitchen. The saw-toothed roof, also called a “northlight roof,” is composed of a series of pitched roofs with unequal slopes; the shorter slopes usually have glass panels and face away from the equator. This architecture prevented light and heat from directly penetrating the building and provided constant light over a large area. When the buildings were sold in 1919, the factory extended over 26 013 square metres.