Abbey Road & the Beatles

We will visit St John’ Wood – one of the wealthiest areas in London – and what the Beatles got up to around here.

You will learn the intimate details of how the Abbey Road album cover photo was taken on the famous crossing – please bring along your Abbey Road pictures to share if you’ve been on one of my tours before!

Did you know that you can see the famous crossing in real time? And that the album cover photo led to the rumour that Paul McCartney was dead? When you learn who else got up to naughty antics there, you’ll never look at it the same way again!

Plus Paul McCartney’s London residence and where a chance encounter lead to Paul writing a very evocative song and many more fascinating facts and stories.

But it’s not only the Beatles – hear stories of Oasis, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, and even Glen Miller and Edward Elgar – Oh and there is also the ‘other’ St John’s Wood Studio that saw hits by Ultravox, Kim Wilde, The Smiths?

EMI Studios, 6 June 1962. Excited and enthusiastic, John, Paul, George and Pete come to meet producer George Martin for their first recording session at Studio 2. Afterwards they come up the stairs to the control room on the level above, from which George Martin had been overlooking their performance. The producer gave them a long lecture on how to make records, and then said “I’ve had my say, now tell me if there’s anything you don’t like”. George Harrison looked him and up and down, and said, ‘For a start, I don’t like your tie’. Everyone had a laugh (apart from Pete Best….), and they got on famously after that. What was George Martin’s role in the Beatles? What does it take to produce the most creative and ground breaking songs of all times? Did George Martin make the Beatles or did the Beatles make George Martin? Was it a smooth ride all the way? Find out all that and more on our online tour.

Abbey Road EMI Studios and George Martin

This is a live online tour, and that there will be a Q & A session at the end. It is a great opportunity to meet fans from around the world!

For more virtual tours and online experiences, visit our home page 

I am Richard Porter, author of the book Guide to the Beatles London; writer and presenter of The Beatles’ London’ DVD; and a guide of 30 years experience. I was the President of the London Beatles Fan Club for 10 years and was a former winner of the ‘Beatles Brain of Britain’ competition. I organised the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road, and was on the committee that erected a blue plaque to commemorate the Beatles famous ‘Rooftop concert’ at 3 Savile Row. In short, I am Super Fanatical Beatles Fan!

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