Hayes, Middlesex

It doesn't look much, and I suppose the weather didn't help, but this is the holy of holies for me. Neither the blitz nor the post-war planning blight has removed the former buildings of HMV from the otherwise depressing town of Hayes, near Heathrow, not so near London. These are some of the original buildings that have survived, though none of them is now owned by EMI so far as I'm aware. But they are still there, and walking through you can just about imagine all those great singers and conductors wending their way to the recording studios to make their acoustic recordings. Later, when electrical recording took over and they used central London venues, Hayes remained the epicentre of the recording industry in Europe for several decades, like Camden, NJ in the States (sadly, far less survives in Camden).

Even thinking about this great but lost era brings tears to my eyes. So much artistry and seemingly inexhaustible talent. Where is it now? What has happened to the recording industry and classical performance?

Incidentally, one crucial part of EMI is still there: the archive, abeit in a new building. Thousands of original masters, recordings, and treasures beyond imagining, from the Beatles to Furtwangler.