The Wool Hall

History

The Wool Hall dates back to the 16th century, when Beckington was a centre of the wool trade in Somerset, England. For a time, it was associated with the nearby Beckington Castle and by the 19th century, it was restored for use as a home and store. In 1968, the hall became a grade II listed building and in the 1980s, it was converted into a recording studio by the pop group Tears for Fears, who used it to record their album Songs from the Big Chair. In 1986 the studio was opened for use by other artists. Van Morrison bought the studio in 1994, having already recorded five albums there, and it served as one of his main recording studios for a large collection of analogue master tapes recorded during his decades-long musical career. In August 2002, Morrison put the studio up for sale for just under a million pounds and it became a private home and studio the following year.

Use as a recording studio

Many artists used The Wool Hall during its 20-year history as a recording studio. The Smiths recorded Strangeways, Here We Come (their final album) there in 1987. According to Morrissey it was at the end of one of those sessions, in "a glut of meetings with accountants and lawyers at The Wool Hall Studio... [that] the Smiths breathed a last exhausted sigh and folded." Morrissey also recorded his first solo album, Viva Hate at the studio shortly after; its title a reference to the tension of the earlier Smiths' sessions. Other artists who used the studio included Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell (parts of Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm), The Pretenders (Last of the Independents), David Sylvian (Secrets of the Beehive, recorded in August 1986), Sisters of Mercy (parts of Floodland), 808 State, Stereophonics, and Paul Weller.