All You Need Is £995k! Church conversion flat opposite Abbey Road Studios for sale

A flat opposite Abbey Road Studios —and the zebra crossing made famous by The Beatles — is on the market for £995,000 with Knight Frank.

The two-bedroom property is situated inside a Grade II-listed converted church on Abbey Road and has direct views of both the studios and the crossing.

Abbey Road Studios was established in 1931 by the Gramophone Company —which would later become EMI— inside what was originally a nine-bedroom townhouse with a large garden. The Gramophone Company spent two years turning it into a recording hub with three main studios, all of which are still in existence today.

At the time, it was the world’s first purpose-built recording studios. Over the past 93 years, it has shaped music and pop culture, with artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush, Oasis, Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Stormzy all having recorded there.

The Beatles helped to immortalize the studios, recording 190 of their 210 songs there between 1962 and 1970. Famously, they named their 1969 album after the street, with a much-replicated image of the band on the zebra crossing as the album cover.

Tourists photograph the famous zebra crossing (Daniel Lynch)

Both the studios and zebra crossing were granted listed status in 2010, and continue to attract tourists from around the world. The crossing even has a live webcam stream and routinely generates queues.

“Nowadays I drive past but you can’t get past — there’s people on it. I’ve often thought of just jumping out and joining in,” said Paul McCartney in a BBC interview in 2019. Once, though, he did succumb to temptation: “I was coming back from a Halloween party and the crossing was empty and I had a werewolf mask on, so I just went across and did a pose.”

McCartney bought a house on Cavendish Avenue, close to the studios, in 1965, which was used as a base for the band before and after recording. He still owns the house today.

The flat has an open plan living area (Knight Frank)

For those who want to be close to the area’s rich musical history, this could be the place. Located on the ground floor of the landmark development, the apartment covers 764 square feet over a single floor.

There is an open plan kitchen and reception room and two bedrooms, one with an ensuite and access to a terrace. Outside, there is a secure, dedicated parking space, while access to the development is gated.

The master bedroom has access to a terrace (Knight Frank)

“What’s most special is the completely unique nature of the building,” says Tim Perks at Knight Frank. “Formerly a church, a large proportion has now been converted into residential property, leaving a small section in the middle as a working chapel. The development has a private, gated entrance which adds to the feeling of exclusivity and ‘one-of-a-kind’ appeal.”

Perks believes that the flat could appeal to first time buyers in search of a secure property with good transport links (St John’s Wood station is five minutes’ walk away), or as a pied-a-terre. The proximity to Abbey Road Studios, he says, “falls more into the added bonus category”.