The Wall Recording — Britannia Row Studios, London

Britannia Row Studios at 35 Britannia Row in Islington, North London, was Pink Floyd's own studio facility — converted from a former church hall — and the place where "The Wall" (1979) was initially rehearsed and developed. Roger Waters conceived the double album as a response to the alienation he felt at the band's large stadium shows, particularly an incident at a Montreal concert where he spat at a fan who was talking during a performance. The resulting work — a rock opera about a rock star's psychological disintegration — is one of the most ambitious and commercially successful concept albums ever made.

"The Wall" was recorded primarily at Super Bear Studios in France, Miravel Studios in France, and CBS Recording Studios in New York, but Britannia Row was the home base from which the project was developed and where additional recording took place. The studio had been used for "Animals" (1977) and "Wish You Were Here" (1975) sessions and was central to Floyd's mid-1970s creative period. The converted church space gave the studio an unusual acoustic character that suited the band's large-scale sonic ambitions.

Britannia Row Studios continued operating after Pink Floyd's active period and has been used by numerous artists including Iron Maiden, Kate Bush, and Blur. The building at 35 Britannia Row retains its Victorian church hall exterior. "The Wall" — with its singles "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" and "Comfortably Numb" — sold over 30 million copies and spawned a 1982 Alan Parker film. The 1980-81 live production, with its literal construction of a wall across the stage, remains one of rock theatre's most ambitious productions.