Abbey Road Studios

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Lore & Background

The site's history dates back to 1874, when The Abbey National Building Society was founded as The Abbey Road & St John's Wood Permanent Benefit Building Society in a Baptist Church on the road. Decades later, EMI established its studios at number 3. The studio gained immense cultural weight when the Beatles recorded their final LP there and chose to feature the four group members walking across the zebra crossing just outside the entrance for the album cover. This specific crossing, located near the junction of Abbey Road and Grove End Road, became so iconic that it was granted Grade II listed building status by English Heritage in December 2010. The road itself was once a track leading to Kilburn Priory before developing in the beginning of the nineteenth century.

In Their Own Story

The zebra crossing featured on the Beatles cover has evolved into a permanent tourist attraction despite remaining a busy thoroughfare for traffic. Over the years, the street sign on the corner of Grove End Road and Abbey Road was frequently defaced or stolen by fans; to save the local council the expense of cleaning and replacing it, the sign is now mounted high on the building on the corner. The crossing may have been relocated several metres during traffic management work in the 1970s. A Westminster City Council spokesperson noted in 2010 that comparing photographs with Ordnance Survey maps suggests the original crossing was further north, nearer to 3 Abbey Road, because steps of Neville Court appear to the right of the crossing in original photos but not at the present location near Grove End Road.

Reader's Guide

Visitors can find the studio on a road part of the B507 that begins in Kilburn at the junction with Quex Road and West End Lane. The route continues southeast for roughly one mile, crossing Priory Road, Belsize Road, Boundary Road (the Camden/Westminster boundary), Clifton Hill, Carlton Hill, and Marlborough Place before ending at Grove End Road. For those seeking to capture the famous image, the council repaints the wall next to the zebra crossing every three months to cover fan graffiti. The area is part of the London tourism circuit due to its association with the Beatles, whose album was released in September 1969. The road also serves as an electoral ward in the City of Westminster.

Did You Know?

• EMI's Abbey Road Studios is located at number 3 on the road.
• The zebra crossing outside the studio was given Grade II listed building status by English Heritage in December 2010.
• The street sign on the corner of Grove End Road and Abbey Road is now mounted high on a building to prevent theft or defacement.
• Westminster City Council repaints the wall next to the zebra crossing every three months to remove fan graffiti.
• The road itself was once a track leading to Kilburn Priory before being developed in the beginning of the nineteenth century.