Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios stands in St John’s Wood, a quiet corner of the City of Westminster. The building began as a nine-bedroom Georgian townhouse in 1831, later turned into flats before the Gramophone Company bought it in 1929. Behind the original façade the firm added three purpose-built studios and a large garden for expansion. Wallis, Gilbert and Partners designed the conversion, unusual for its time, and the studios opened in November 1931 with Edward Elgar conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The neighbouring house was kept for visiting musicians, including Sir Malcolm Sargent who lived nearby. The studios became famous through the Beatles, who recorded almost all their albums and hits there between 1962 and 1970. Their 1969 album gave the place its name, and Iain Macmillan’s cover photograph turned the zebra crossing outside into a place of pilgrimage. Engineers at Abbey Road pioneered techniques such as automatic double tracking, invented by Ken Townsend, and worked with artists like Pablo Casals, Glenn Miller and Cliff Richard. Film scores followed, beginning with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1980, and Disney recorded vocal and instrumental tracks for albums including The Aristocats and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Visitors find a working studio where the original control rooms and wooden staircases remain. Studio Two, where most Beatles sessions took place, still shows the four-track REDD mixing console designed by Peter K. Burkowitz. Outside, the zebra crossing draws fans who leave messages on the wall despite regular repainting. The Grade II listed crossing and building preserve the site, allowing new generations to hear the echoes of Elgar, the Beatles and countless others who shaped sound in this unassuming corner of London.