U.K. Declares Abbey Road ‘Historic’

Cultural minister Margaret Hodge accepted the recommendation of English Heritage, a public body within the U.K. government, to upgrade the studios to historical status, according to London’s Times.

In a listing published today, the Department For Culture, Media and Sport describes the studios as “the earliest, as well as the best-known, purpose-built recording studios in the world,” and cites Abbey Road’s historical legacy in the music biz as well as its famous Beatles connection.

The listing also describes the studio’s architectural and cultural merits, praising its late Georgian frontage and describing the building as having “become a much-visited shrine to an important British industry and area of cultural achievement.”

Abbey Road has been in the news since last week when Financial Times reported record label EMI was trying to sell the property, causing music celebs such as Paul McCartney publicly urging that the National Trust protect the building, while at least one British luminary – composer Andrew Lloyd Webber – indicated he might purchase the studios.

EMI eventually issued a statement saying it would not sell the studios but would work with a third party to revitalize the property.

Click here to read the complete Times report.