The Old Vinyl Factory
| The Old Vinyl Factory | |
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View of the former headquarters (left) and Enterprise House on Blyth Road
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 Location within the London Borough of Hillingdon
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| Former names | EMI Laboratories |
| Alternative names | EMI Buildings |
| General information | |
| Address | Blythe Road |
| Town or city | Hayes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′19″N 0°25′33″W / 51.505278°N 0.425833°W |
| Groundbreaking | 9 February 1907 |
| Renovation cost | £250m (projected) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Wallis, Gilbert and Partners |
| Renovating team | |
| Renovating firm | U + I Group |
| Website | |
| The Old Vinyl Factory | |
The Old Vinyl Factory is a complex of buildings formerly owned by the British music company EMI in Hayes, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The site was originally purchased by the Gramophone and Typewriter Company and the buildings were designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners in the early 20th century.
While used by EMI, the site was responsible for the production of many well-known vinyl records by popular musicians of the 20th century, as well as radios and other broadcasting equipment.
In April 2011 the site was purchased for redevelopment by a joint venture of Cathedral Group PLC and Development Securities plc (now U + I Group). Under plans for £250 million of works, the site, covering 17 acres (6.9 ha), is to include commercial and residential units and a university technical college.
The Gramophone and Typewriter Company, the precursor to EMI, purchased the site in the early 20th century and began constructing the first buildings in 1907. The company originally sold gramophones, and began making its own records in London in 1898 They were pressed at a factory in Germany until the Hayes Record Factory opened. From 1910, records bore the His Master's Voice label. The tenor Edward Lloyd took part in the groundbreaking ceremony. Vinyl records were produced from 1952.
What became the Cabinet Building was opened in 1911, after the Italian soprano Luisa Tetrazzini laid the cornerstone. The following year, a head office was built nearby on the site. During the First World War, the factory was used for the production of munitions.
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