Studio B (Baird) and Baird Intermediate Camera

Studio B at Alexandra Palace was originally used by Baird Television between May 1936 and March 1937. Once the decision had been made to use the 405-line system only, Baird moved out and the studio was re-equipped by Marconi/EMI.

Last used by the Open University in 1986, the studio is now in a very sad state of repair. The roof has collapsed and leaks badly, pigeons nest in the room in several places, and there are even holes in the wall. The great fire of 1980, which destroyed a large part of Alexandra Palace, was contained just in time to save Studio B.

Behind the pile of disused furniture, you can just about see the doorway which originally led into the Baird Control room. Above this door is the now blocked window which used to look down into Studio B from the production office. There is a similar window in Studio A. The doorway in the middle of the picture leads out onto the balcony area at the front of Alexandra Palace where the colonnade is. This area was used by the Intermediate Camera which looked into the studio from a bay-fronted sound-proof booth (see below).

Though the studio has no lighting of any kind, and is subsequently in almost total darkness, it is just possible with a flashlight to make out the 1930s patterned wallpaper which still clings to parts of the walls.

Studio B is in urgent need of attention. If something is not done soon it will decay to the point where it cannot be saved.

The importance of this building as a national heritage site cannot be underestimated. While funding from many sources, such as the lottery, is liberally thrown at buildings such The Dome, which has no heritage value whatsoever, Alexandra Palace, and the site of the world's first regular television broadcasts, continues to fall further and further into disrepair.