In one of the more notable real estate deals of the year, the German composer Hans Zimmer has purchased the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios in London. The price for this piece of recording and broadcasting history? Reportedly, a mere £10.5m.

It has been suggested that the Oscar-winning composer will use it as a British base in which to write and record major film scores.

Originally built as the Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club in 1909, the West London complex of seven sound studios has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for the BBC from 1946 to 2018 when the BBC announced the closure of the studios.

In May 2020, Historic England designated it as a Grade II Listed Building.

The Maida Vale studio complex. Photo WikiCommons

Maida Vale has been the home of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 1934 and its main Studio (MV1) is one of the largest in the UK with room for an orchestra of over 150 musicians and an audience of over 200.

By the 1950s, it was frequently broadcasting concerts from this venue, including the first broadcast performance...