Apple Corps, the business set up by The Beatles to manage the group's affairs in the late 1960s, is to open the first official Beatles fan experience on Savile Row in London.
The group's famously extravagant business arm will embark on the plan at 3 Savile Row, the venue for the band's last live rooftop performance and the studio where much of the Let It Be album was recorded.
According to the publicity, the experience will launch in 2027 as The Beatles at 3 Savile Row and will take place across the building's seven floors showcasing exclusive material from Apple Corps' archives, rotating exhibitions, a fan store, and the recreation of the original studio where Let it Be was recorded. There have been rumours in Beatles circles that it will also host a Beatles art school and fashion hub.
The studio is where the band reconvened after George Harrison had briefly quit during filming of the Let it Be film at Twickenham Studios. The studio is credited with helping the band put aside their differences, enlist keyboardist Billy Preston, and record some of their most famous tracks, including Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road and Get Back. It's also unique in being produced by Glyn Johns rather than George Martin, The Beatles' producer on all of their other studio albums.
That period in early 1969 has been brought to life again recently in Peter Jackson's Get Back film.
It was such a trip to get back to 3 Savile Row recently and have a look around. There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready.
The Beatles formed Apple Corps Ltd in 1968 to oversee their collective creative and business interests. 3 Savile Row was Apple Corps and The Beatles' earliest headquarters and Apple itself has said it is returning to the building to occupy it as a headquarters this month, relocating from its current home at 27 Ovington Square in Knightsbridge.
Apple Corps’ CEO Tom Greene said in a statement: ‘We’re thrilled to bring Apple Corps back to its spiritual home and give The Beatles fans something truly special. 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.”
The two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, have both backed the opening.
McCartney said: “It was such a trip to get back to 3 Savile Row recently and have a look around. There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready."
Ringo Starr added: “Wow, it’s like coming home.”
Details of the terms of the occupancy have not been revealed yet but British entrepreneur and Doncaster Rovers director Terry Bramall bought the 14,000-square-foot block from Kier for £33.15 million in 2016, reflecting a net initial yield of 3.7%. The property was let to Abercrombie & Fitch for a children's store until 2021.