The Department of Culture announced on Tuesday that the 1830s villa in north London housing the world famous music studios – most often associated with the Beatles – has been granted Grade II status, the second highest category.
The building “acts as a modern monument to the history of recorded sound and music,” English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley said in a statement.
“Some of the most defining sounds of the 20th century were created within the walls of Abbey Road Studios,” he said. “It contains, quite simply, the most famous recording studios in the world.”
With its new designation, changes can still be made to the interior of the villa, but “care must be taken to ensure that any changes to its character and interest are fully taken into account”, the government said.
Cash-strapped EMI owner
Reports emerged last week that EMI, which owns the studios, was planning to put the high-profile facility in London’s St. John’s Wood up for sale in a bid to pay off its debt.
The news sparked massive outcry and immediate calls for the building’s preservation, with former Beatle Paul McCartney among those urging Abbey Road to be saved. UK charity National Trust and musical theater impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber were among the parties who said they were considering buying and preserving the building.
“Abbey Road Studios has produced some of the best music in the world. It’s a testament both to the importance of music in people’s lives and to the passion that this kind of issue has, that so much interest has been generated by the perceived threat to the future of Abbey Road,” Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said in a statement.
Over the weekend, EMI revealed that it intended to keep the facility, although it had been in talks with “interested parties” about plans to revitalize the studios.
Acts from Pink Floyd to Radiohead to top symphony orchestras have been recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Although the cultural monument is closed to the public, the famous pedestrian crossing outside continues to attract fans and tourists from all over the world on a daily basis.
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