Wessex Sound Studios
Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located in Highbury New Park, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including The Sex Pistols, King Crimson, The Clash, Theatre of Hate, XTC, The Sinceros, Queen, Talk Talk and The Rolling Stones. The property was sold to a residential development company in 2003.
[edit] History
The building that would become Wessex Studios was built in 1881 as a church hall of St. Augustine's Church, located in Highbury, London. Like other buildings of the Victorian era, it featured Gothic design.
In the 1960s, the Thompson family converted the church hall into a recording studio. They named it Wessex because their previous recording studio had been located in what was historically the kingdom of Wessex. Les Reed, songwriter of A kind of Hush etc with Barry Mason The Beatles, bought the building in 1965. In 1975, Chrysalis bought Wessex Studios and Martin's AIR Studios; Martin became a director of the company. In 2003, Neptune Group bought the building and later converted it into a residential development known as "The Recording Studio", comprising eight apartments and a townhouse.
[edit] References
- Good vibrations - Property, House & Home - The Independent at money.independent.co.uk
- The Bill Price Interview at mixonline.com
- Islington - Churches | British History Online at www.British-history.ac.uk
[edit] External links
- Neptune Group - Current owner of the building
- St. Augustine's Church - The church in front of the building
