Audio Pro

Town House Studios set to close in March

Andy Wood Feb 22 2008, 11:00am

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Equipment and content from London studio due for auction in May

Equipment and contents from The Town House Recording and Mastering Studios in London's Shepherd Bush, will be going under the auctioneer’s hammer at the beginning of May, 2008, following the closure of the three-studio complex, which is scheduled for the end of March.

The auction of the equipment and studio contents mark the final chapter in the Town House’s long and illustrious history. Its closure is a further indication of the difficulties that have befallen large-scale commercial studios.

Pro audio specialist mjQ has been commissioned to handle the sale, which will be conducted both online between May 7th and 9th and as a Sale by Treaty, which will take place at the studio on the same dates.

Originally acquired by Richard Branson in the late 1970s, The Town House Studios in West London rapidly gained a reputation as one of the world’s greatest studio complexes. Over the years it played host to a plethora of recording artists including Queen, Frank Zappa, Coldplay, Placebo, Elton John, Robbie Williams, Ian Brown, Oasis, The Beautiful South, Russell Watson, Bryan Ferry, Travis, Beyonce, J-Lo, Kylie Minogue, Jamelia, Pulp, Ash and the Dandy Warhols.

Groundbreaking producers, engineers and re-mixers such as Bob Clearmountain, Hugh Padgham, Mick Glossop, Tony Platt, Phil Bodger, Cenzo Townshend and Sergio Galoyan also made the complex their own, drawn by the unique feel and atmosphere of the three Sam Toyashima-designed rooms and the extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

During the 1980s, The Town House was absorbed by the EMI/Virgin Studio Group and was later taken over by the Sanctuary Group in 2002. In 2006, successful producer and engineer Al Stone took over the running of the facility, with the lease retained by Sanctuary.

The auction will include over 1,000 lots covering every conceivable piece of equipment, from SSL consoles to Pro Tools systems, vintage Tube Mics, classic pieces of outboard equipment, Vinyl cutting lathes and such legendary brands as Prism Sound, Fairchild, Bosendorfer, Massenburg, PMC and Bryston.

Malcolm Jackson, managing director of mjQ, says: “Given the reputation of the Town House Studios and the affection that it has generated in so many people’s hearts, we are anticipating strong interest in this sale, both from UK buyers and those further afield.

"The Town House Studios was always one of London’s key innovators and this heritage is reflected in the extensive range of high-quality, well maintained equipment included in the auction. We believe that the opportunity to own a piece of music industry history will prove to be a strong draw for many of the people bidding for these lots.”

A full list of the 1,000 lots will be published in an online auction catalogue, which will be available at www.mjQ.co.uk from April, 2008.

Town House Studios