Rockfield Studios

Rockfield Studios stands in the Wye Valley near the village of Rockfield in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. The site began as Amberley Court Farm, a Shire horse breeding centre bought by the Ward family in the early 1950s. Brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward later turned part of the farm into a recording studio in 1963. The studios occupy converted solid-stone farm buildings, with living accommodation for artists. Two main studios remain in use today: The Coach House and The Quadrangle. The studios have played a key role in shaping popular music since the 1960s. Dave Edmunds’ 1970 hit ‘I Hear You Knocking’ was the first major success recorded there. Queen used the studios for parts of ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ and the entire ‘A Night at the Opera’, including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Oasis, Hawkwind, The Stone Roses and Coldplay have all worked at Rockfield. The studios also helped launch Motörhead’s early career and saved the business when The Stone Roses stayed for 14 months in 1988–89. Inside The Coach House, a 150-square-metre live area has stone walls and a wooden ceiling with a Yamaha grand piano. It includes a stone drum room, a second variable drum room and two isolation booths. The Quadrangle offers 170 square metres of space with a Bösendorfer grand piano, two large drum rooms and three booths. Both studios use vintage equipment such as Neve consoles and UREI compressors. The rural setting remains peaceful, allowing artists to live and work without distraction.