CBS Records UK is the UK division of CBS Records (Columbia Broadcasting Systems), and in 1964 they took over operations at a small factory in Aston Clinton near Aylesbury which had up to that point been owned by Oriole, another record company, and was used to press their own records - Oriole being absorbed into the CBS label after the move. In the 1970s it became apparent that CBS needed more space and so in 1978 ground was broken for a new, much larger factory on Rabans Lane in Aylesbury. In 1980 CBS Records moved their pressing plant operations to Aylesbury and were then capable of manufacturing a great many more records from all manner of famous and big name artists during the 1980s including such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Wham, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, etc etc. Interesting side note, whilst doing research for this little write up I found this - https://www.discogs.com/release/4072738-Various-CBS-Aylesbury - a compilation vinyl made for employees at the factory in 1985 after it had a refit, I'm currently trying to get @Landie_Man to buy the only copy there is for sale.
In 1991 CBS Records became known as Sony Music Entertainment UK and with the decline in vinyl the Aylesbury plant became primarily a media duplication and distribution centre, and in 2004 was taken over by Cinram Novum, who specialised in the worldwide distribution of physical media. In 2017 Cinram Novum went into administration and they were bought out by a company called Proper Music Group, who brought Cinram Novum under their Utopia Music Group company. In September 2023, all operations at the Aylesbury plant moved to a brand new facility in Bicester, and demolition of the Rabans Lane factory began about a week ago.
This was my first explore of the year after some false starts and setbacks scuppered other plans, and to say it was a bit last minute was an understatement! Myself and @Landie_Man rocked up and saw all was quiet on site with no workers around, so we snuck in and had the place to ourselves for two and a bit hours. All was going remarkably to plan until we ventured to the main factory floor and Harry decided to go grab some photos of the demolished areas leaving me wandering around on my own. After I had found some upstairs areas in the main factory that Harry had missed, I checked my phone to see a message asking me where I was as Harry was going to grab some photos of the demo. I then looked out to the demolished parts of the factory from where I was stood and I saw a guy in a hi-vis walking around - naturally I assumed it was Harry so I walked in the general direction of the person but then realised that they hadn't appeared where I expected them to appear if it was Harry walking to meet me. I then realised something was up and quickly made my way back through the building, again catching sight of the same hi-vis guy but this time accompanied by someone else not in a hi-vis. At this point I messaged Harry asking if everything was OK and had I just seen him be collared by someone, to which he replied he was hiding in a toilet at the far end of the building having legged it. So I carefully made my way through the factory aware that the route back to where he was involved walking along a glazed corridor which looked out to where the two people had been walking around. After a little wait to make sure the coast was clear I scurried along the glazed part of the building and long story short we met up and got out without - apparently - being seen. After we got out we walked around the side and saw the two guys tinkering with one of the rubble crushing machines, so it's a mystery as to whether they ever actually spotted us or not.
Despite the building being so stripped as all assets were removed to the Bicester site, it was still surprisingly interesting. The spine corridor that ran between two of the warehouse sections was arguably the highlight with an array of intact HVAC and other machinery, and whilst me and Harry were separated I ventured up a non-descript staircase and found an employee gym, the old staff rooms, and a bonded stores section hidden away. I was surprised to not find any sort of boiler room, as a place this big definitely would have had one, I reckon it may have been one of the first structures to be pulled down.
I reckon there's about two weeks left until it's all gone.
One end of the spine corridor was being rapidly flooded by a broken water main spraying water everywhere, it was close to shoe breach at a couple of points.
Continued...
In 1991 CBS Records became known as Sony Music Entertainment UK and with the decline in vinyl the Aylesbury plant became primarily a media duplication and distribution centre, and in 2004 was taken over by Cinram Novum, who specialised in the worldwide distribution of physical media. In 2017 Cinram Novum went into administration and they were bought out by a company called Proper Music Group, who brought Cinram Novum under their Utopia Music Group company. In September 2023, all operations at the Aylesbury plant moved to a brand new facility in Bicester, and demolition of the Rabans Lane factory began about a week ago.
This was my first explore of the year after some false starts and setbacks scuppered other plans, and to say it was a bit last minute was an understatement! Myself and @Landie_Man rocked up and saw all was quiet on site with no workers around, so we snuck in and had the place to ourselves for two and a bit hours. All was going remarkably to plan until we ventured to the main factory floor and Harry decided to go grab some photos of the demolished areas leaving me wandering around on my own. After I had found some upstairs areas in the main factory that Harry had missed, I checked my phone to see a message asking me where I was as Harry was going to grab some photos of the demo. I then looked out to the demolished parts of the factory from where I was stood and I saw a guy in a hi-vis walking around - naturally I assumed it was Harry so I walked in the general direction of the person but then realised that they hadn't appeared where I expected them to appear if it was Harry walking to meet me. I then realised something was up and quickly made my way back through the building, again catching sight of the same hi-vis guy but this time accompanied by someone else not in a hi-vis. At this point I messaged Harry asking if everything was OK and had I just seen him be collared by someone, to which he replied he was hiding in a toilet at the far end of the building having legged it. So I carefully made my way through the factory aware that the route back to where he was involved walking along a glazed corridor which looked out to where the two people had been walking around. After a little wait to make sure the coast was clear I scurried along the glazed part of the building and long story short we met up and got out without - apparently - being seen. After we got out we walked around the side and saw the two guys tinkering with one of the rubble crushing machines, so it's a mystery as to whether they ever actually spotted us or not.
Despite the building being so stripped as all assets were removed to the Bicester site, it was still surprisingly interesting. The spine corridor that ran between two of the warehouse sections was arguably the highlight with an array of intact HVAC and other machinery, and whilst me and Harry were separated I ventured up a non-descript staircase and found an employee gym, the old staff rooms, and a bonded stores section hidden away. I was surprised to not find any sort of boiler room, as a place this big definitely would have had one, I reckon it may have been one of the first structures to be pulled down.
I reckon there's about two weeks left until it's all gone.
One end of the spine corridor was being rapidly flooded by a broken water main spraying water everywhere, it was close to shoe breach at a couple of points.
Continued...
