Ramport Studios — The Who, Battersea

Ramport Studios at 115 Thessaly Road in Battersea was The Who's own recording facility — built and owned by the band from 1972 and used primarily to record 'Quadrophenia' (1973), Pete Townshend's double-album rock opera about a Mod named Jimmy and his search for identity in the world of Shepherd's Bush and Brighton in 1965. The studio gave the band complete creative control over the recording process without the pressure of commercial studio time and costs, and the results were some of the most ambitious and fully realised music of their career. 'Quadrophenia' is widely regarded as their finest album, and Ramport is where it was made.

The creation of a band-owned studio in 1972 reflected The Who's status as one of the biggest and most financially successful acts in the world following 'Tommy' (1969), 'Who's Next' (1971), and years of relentless touring. The Battersea location — south of the Thames in an industrial area of the kind that characterised the parts of London where rock musicians found cheap space in the early 1970s — gave them privacy and room. Townshend, who controlled the studio's primary use, also used Ramport for solo and side projects. The studio was later used by other artists including the Rolling Stones.

Ramport Studios operated from 1972 through the late 1970s. The Thessaly Road building in Battersea has since been converted to residential use. Battersea is undergoing substantial redevelopment centred on the Battersea Power Station complex nearby. The Quadrophenia album recorded at Ramport remains one of the defining works of British rock, and the film adaptation (1979), directed by Franc Roddam and starring Phil Daniels, brought the story to a new generation. The Brighton locations used for the film — particularly the alleyway chase and the seafront — have become pilgrimage sites for fans of both the album and the film.