AIR Studios Montserrat

George Martin built a residential recording studio above Belham Valley in 1979 and for ten years it drew some of the best known acts of the period to Montserrat to work in isolation. Hurricane Hugo wrecked it in 1989 and it never reopened; the volcano then emptied the surrounding area. What stands is a roofless shell in the bush on private land, and the Cultural Centre at Little Bay is what came of it afterwards.

What you actually see

• The roofless shell - what is left of the studio building.
• The valley position - the site above Belham on the western slope.
• The 1979 to 1989 run - the decade the studio worked.
• The hurricane damage - what ended it in 1989.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Access depends entirely on arrangement rather than season. Vegetation is heavier after the wet months.

Honest expectations

This is private property and it cannot simply be visited; permission is needed and is not always given. The building is derelict and unsafe to enter. There is nothing to see beyond the shell.

Nearby

Belham Valley is below, and Woodlands is north.