Music spaces in railway arches

Trevor Mason
Aug 20, 2014
5 min read

Updated: Mar 2

A quick trawl on the interweb reveals there's plenty of music rehearsal spaces utilising railway arches.

Railway arches make good music rehearsal spaces

A quick trawl on the interweb and it is evident there are plenty of music rehearsal spaces utilising railway arches. When you think about it, it makes sense. Amplified bands are probably no louder than a passing train, so unlikely to annoy local residents. Parking is likely to be good too. They all have ground floor access making moving gear easy.

We found the following music rehearsal spaces firmly tucked away under your train seat:

The Vatican

The Vatican Rehearsal and Recording Studio houses five rooms in a railway arches in East London.

Established in the 1980s, it is used by record labels and artist managers for pre-production and demos. It also encourages students by offering discounts on weekdays. The facility features two spacious practice rooms 80 square metres. Its reception/lounge area offers refreshments and snacks, with plenty of cafes, coffee shops and bars nearby. It makes lockouts available.

Past clients include SKY, BBC, ITV, X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice, Pixie Lott, Big Brother and Katy B.

Further information at www.thevatican.biz

Yellow Arch Studios

Yellow Arch Studios started life as an Edwardian nuts & bolts factory for the bridge & shipping industry in the early 1900s.

After being rediscovered in 1996 in disarray and ruin, the Yellow Arch team got their ladders and paint brushes out and set about designing and refurbishing the building, opening its doors as Yellow Arch Studios on October 7th 1997.

Yellow Arch has been operating as a music rehearsal space, recording studio, equipment hire, teaching studio and gig venue.

It has established itself as a key player in the music industry in Sheffield. Most famously known as the birthplace of the Arctic Monkeys, the studio has produced albums by artists including Richard Hawley, Kylie Minogue, Jarvis Cocker, The Klaxons, The Maccabees, The Wedding Present, Goldfrapp and Duane Eddy, and has a strong working relationship with the BBC, EMI Records, Sony, Universal and Warners.

Yellow Arch has four bespoke practice rooms in railway arches, all high vaulted with oak beams ranging from 300 sq ft to 1000sq ft. The facility features lounges, a licensed café/bar open all day long and a secluded courtyard chill out.

It provides space for hundreds of local bands to meet, rehearse and record whilst offering placements and training to students, and supports and assists local community projects and charities. Free storage is thrown in for regular bands.

Further information at www.yellowarch.com

Bush Studios

London’s Bush Studios has six rooms in the arches behind Shepherds Bush Market and near an Underground station.

Its practice rooms are suitable for rehearsal, showcasing, auditions, pre-production and dance. All studios are acoustically designed, mirrored and have floating floors. It also offers amp and audio system repair & servicing, including design, modification, advice and custom build. It is an authorised service center for Hiwatt amps.

Along with the usual equipment and instrument hire, it can also supply touring crew and transport.

Clients have included Alison Moyet, Alll Saints, Baaba Mal, BBC, Beyonce, Billy Ocean, Bloc Party, Cee-Lo Green, Chrissie Hynde, David Guetta, De La Soul, Ellie Goulding, Evan Dando, Faith No More, Franz Ferdinand, Ginger Baker, Goldfrapp, Gong, Grace Jones, Island Records, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Joss Stone, Kasabian, Killing Joke, Klaxons, La Roux, Laura Marling, Lauren Hill, Lemonheads, Madness, Mark Ronson, Mercury Records, Mick Fleetwood, Moby, Mumford & Sons, Natalie Imbruglia, Noel Gallagher, Nora Jones, One Direction, Paloma Faith, Paul Young, Paulo Nutini, Placebo, Rihanna, Rough Trade Records, Royksopp, Rudimental, Rumer, Shpongle, Simply Red, Skunk Anansie, Sly & Robbie, Sony Music, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Stereophonics, Steve Hillage Band, Sugababes, Supergrass, Thames TV, The 1975, The Orb, The Specials, The Ting Tings, Tinchy Stryder, Tricky, Universal Music, Van Morrison, Westlife, Will Young and Wretch 32.

It maintains extensive and clear terms & conditions. Further information at www.bushstudios.co.uk

The Cardiff Arches

The Cardiff Arches, in erm, Cardiff, is housed in three separate railway arches and has quickly established a vibrant community of musicians.

Owned and run by Cardiff based musicians, all of whom gig regularly around the country, its practice rooms are large and airy, with ceiling heights of 5m and floor areas of between 20 and 30 square metres. Located in separate arches means each room maintains a good sense of privacy and minimises noise spill.

There is plenty of parking and good vehicle access right up to the door of each room.

Further information at www.thecardiffarches.com

Alaska Studio

Alaska Street Studio directly opposite Waterloo Railway Station in south London has four archway rooms, one of which is suitable for small showcase gigs.

Established in 1977 by Pat Collier of the Vibrators, the musical rehearsal space has a rich music history.

From the pioneering punk rock, ska and reggae scenes of the 1970's & 80's followed by the UK hip hop, grime & indie scenes, Alaska Street Studio has been the place of choice for rehearsing bands across the genres over the years.

Past clients include Asian Dub Foundation, Goat Girl, Rat Scabies (The Damned), The Libertines, Roots Manuva and Wiley.

Further information at www.alaskastudio.co.uk

Under the Bridge Studios

Under The Bridge Studios in Brighton is located right under Brighton train station and has three large and two small practice rooms. As an incorporated voluntary organisation of active musicians (players and teachers), its workers aim to share music-making rooted in many cultures, traditions and genres with kids of all ages and abilities.

It runs a successful centre for the ABRSM practical music examination board offering music lessons in classical and contemporary piano/keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, saxophone and singing. It tutors also mentor bands in group dynamic, composition and songwriting.

Further information at www.underthebridgestudios.org

Arch Recordings

Arch Recordings is a long-established rehearsal hub for Burton upon Trent near Derby’s thriving music scene. It is situated in a railway arch under Burton’s Station Bridge.

Further information at www.facebook.com/archrecordings

BonaFide Studio

Bonafide Studio has three rooms and can be found in the heart of London’s Muswell Hill. It is set within a Nature Reserve Parkland Walk situated in Arches 13 and 14 under a foot bridge with no trains running above to cause any sound disturbance. Nina at BonaFide said: "The railway arches provide generous space, an unusual look and even free parking. Our studio is also happily tucked away but accessible so we have the best of two worlds: prime location but we are not disturbing anyone."

Apart from its rehearsal facilities, it offers sound engineering tutorials and recording discounts for regular rehearsing clients. However, running a music rehearsal space in a railway arch has had its downsides. Nina again: "We moved from Shoreditch to Muswell Hill so we left many of our regular clients behind. Moving the premisses we almost felt we had to start all over again. As we don’t do paid advertisements, the relationship with our community was essential in gaining our new client base. The cost to soundproof and acoustically treat our space was a big investment. Our arches were just a shell so we invested over £100k to make it work."

Further information at www.bonafidestudio.co.uk

Overdrive Studios

Overdrive Studios is located opposite Deptford Train Station on Deptford High Street in south London.

Further information at www.facebook.com/overdrivestudios

The Engine Rooms

The Engine Rooms in Bow in East London is based in four railways arches and offer all-day lockout opportunities.

Further information at www.engineroomslondon.com

Tone Hound Rehearsal Studios

Tone Hound Studios is a dedicated music rehearsal space in Clapham Junction, South West London, located directly underneath Clapham Junction Station.

Formerly known as Breakfast Studios, its studios are spacious at over 400sq ft per room, able to accommodate bands of up to 8-10 members.

It hosts a regular blues jam night where musicians work together on their blues playing and improvisation in the privacy of a rehearsal studio.

Further information at www.tonehoundstudios.co.uk

EVA Sound Studios

Evasound Studios in Walthamstow in London is based in two arches offering free storage of equipment, WiFi and parking.

Further information at www.evasoundstudios.co.uk

Rogue Studios

Rogue Studios has three rooms in railway arches on a trading estate in south east London. It was featured in Time Out magazine's top 10 studios in London.

There is parking on site and all the rehearsal rooms are on the ground floor.

Further information at www.roguestudios.co.uk

And there’s always the Roundhouse in London's Camden Town which was a former railway engine shed.