John Lennon Memorials
Blue plaque marking the site of the original HMV store at 363 Oxford Street, London
Photo: Spudgun67, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

HMV Beatles Plaque at 363 Oxford Street, London

London, United Kingdom, 2000

A blue plaque at 363 Oxford Street, London, marks the site of the original HMV store, where a demo disc of the Beatles was cut in 1962, and was unveiled by Sir George Martin on 26 April 2000.

The HMV Beatles plaque is on the front of 363 Oxford Street in London, the site of the first HMV shop, opened in 1921. In February 1962 Brian Epstein had the Beatles' Decca audition tape cut to disc in the store's studio, a step that led him to George Martin. Martin unveiled the plaque on 26 April 2000.

From a disc-cutting room to George Martin

In early February 1962 (Thursday 8 February, according to music historian Gordon Thompson) Brian Epstein brought the tape of the Beatles' Decca audition to HMV at 363 Oxford Street to have it transferred onto disc. The shop, owned by EMI, had a small studio where customers could have recordings cut.

The band itself wasn't there. Jim Foy, the disc-cutter, liked what he heard and suggested Epstein see Sid Colman, who ran Ardmore & Beechwood, EMI's music publisher. Colman and his colleague Kim Bennett liked the band's "Like Dreamers Do" and pointed Epstein to George Martin, the A&R manager of EMI's Parlophone label. Epstein played Martin the discs on 13 February 1962 at EMI's Manchester Square offices. Martin wasn't won over by the tape, but he later offered the band a recording contract.

What the plaque says

The round blue plaque gives the store's dates as July 1921 to April 2000. It says Sir Edward Elgar opened the shop, and that a 78rpm demo disc of the Beatles was cut in its recording studio in 1962, leading to their long-term contract with EMI. It ends with HMV's slogan, "The world's most famous music store". Sir George Martin unveiled it on 26 April 2000, when the original store closed.

It looks like London's official blue plaques, but it isn't one. According to its Wikimedia Commons record, HMV put it up, and no heritage body is named anywhere on it. The building's history is longer than the plaque suggests, too. The first shop burned down in 1937 and reopened on 8 May 1939, when Sir Thomas Beecham opened the rebuilt store.

An HMV again

The plaque marks the end of the store in April 2000, but HMV has since come back to the building more than once. The company moved its flagship back to number 363 on 23 October 2013. It shut that shop on 5 February 2019, and the site stood empty of HMV for four years before the shop reopened on 24 November 2023. OpenStreetMap lists the current opening hours as 09:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday and 12:00 to 18:00 on Sunday (checked July 2026). The plaque is on the outside, so you can see it whether the shop is open or not.

Two more Lennon sites are a short walk away. The Imagine statue on Carnaby Street is about 630 m east in a straight line. The blue plaque at 34 Montagu Square, where Lennon lived in 1968, is about 920 m to the northwest.

Common misconceptions

  • ClaimThe HMV plaque is an English Heritage blue plaque or was put up by a heritage body.

    RecordIt is a company plaque. The Commons record says HMV erected it, and it carries HMV's slogan, 'The world's most famous music store'.

    Why the mix-upIt is round and blue like official London plaques, and Open Plaques lists it without naming the organisation.

  • ClaimThe Beatles recorded at HMV on Oxford Street.

    RecordThe band was not there. Brian Epstein brought the tape of their Decca audition, and HMV staff transferred it to disc.

    Why the mix-upThe plaque says a demo disc was cut in the store's recording studio, which is easy to read as a recording session.

Inscription

363 Oxford Street July 1921 - April 2000 HMV Site of the original HMV store Opened by Sir Edward Elgar in July 1921, the HMV store shaped the way people bought music for nearly a century In 1962 it played a significant role in the career of The Beatles. A 78RPM demo disc of the band was cut in the store's recording studio. This led to the Beatles' long-term recording contract with EMI Plaque unveiled by Sir George Martin CBE 26 April 2000 The world's most famous music store

Nearby

Sources

  1. Open Plaques. Edward Elgar and The Beatles blue plaque. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  2. Sound Of The Hound. HMV 363 Oxford Street. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  3. OUPblog, Oxford University Press. Brian Epstein and the quest for a contract. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  4. Wikipedia. Brian Epstein. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  5. Wikipedia. HMV. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  6. Time Out London. Oxford Street's reborn HMV now has an official opening date. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  7. Wikimedia Commons. HMV 363 Oxford Street plaque (photo and plaque text). Accessed 13 September 2026.
  8. OpenStreetMap. Site of the original HMV store plaque, Oxford Street, London. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  9. OpenStreetMap. HMV, 363 Oxford Street, London. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  10. OpenStreetMap. John Lennon blue plaque, 34 Montagu Square, London. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  11. OpenStreetMap. Imagine artwork, Carnaby Street, London. Accessed 13 September 2026.

Last verified against sources on . Found an error? Send a correction.