The Beatles at 3 Savile Row

The Beatles have announced an “official destination for Beatles fans” in central London, with plans to convert their former HQ – 3 Savile Row, where they finished recording Let It Be and famously gave their final public (ish) performance, on the rooftop – into a ticketed experience.

The Beatles at 3 Savile Row will open the building and offer “seven floors of never-seen-before material from Apple Corps’ extensive archives”, rotating exhibitions, a fan shop (naturally), and the recreation of the original studio where Let it Be was recorded. Most excitingly, the press release suggests that, yes, fans will be able to get up onto the roof to “tread in the bands footsteps as they relive the iconic rooftop concert” (cue health and safety officers rubbing their hands together).

All this is the brainchild of new Apple CEO Tom Greene who says “Every single day, fans are taking pictures of the outside of 3 Savile Row – but next year they can go in and explore all seven floors of the iconic building, including the rooftop where even the railings remain the same from that famous day in 1969”.

It’s a great idea, and what Greene says is true. I used to work around the corner from Savile Row in the mid-90s (in Sackville Street) and remember clearly the various Beatles walking tours that used to come past our door having just visited 3 Savile Row (I’d hear them, because the tour guide would have a radio playing Beatles hits).

The Fab Four acquired what was a Georgian Townhouse in Savile Row (a street in West London most famous for its bespoke tailoring establishments) in the summer of 1968. In it, each of them had their own office and of course there was the basement studio where Let It Be was completed. This was put together somewhat on-the-fly and a new one was constructed in 1971 which was subsequently used by various artists, including Marc Bolan, until it closed in 1975. The Beatles sold the building in October 1976. American fashion retailer Abercrombie and Fitch bought it although whether Apple have now re-acquired the premises 50 years after selling it, is not clear.

The Beatles at 3 Savile Row is due to launch in 2027. You can register here for more information.