Showrooms vacated

Radio 1 began to move out of Yalding House today, with its first live broadcast from new studios in the Broadcasting House penthouse on air at 0400am.

All of the 30,463 sq foot of Yalding will eventually be handed back to owners British Land, when 1Xtra and Newsbeat make the move. British Land want to re-develop it. Yalding came into the BBC's portfolio first as a home for The Music Department (which meant mainly The Third Programme, then Radio 3), with the ground floor used to store orchestral and band music.  The floor was ideal - as it had been previously strengthened for use as a car showroom.

In the 1930s, Great Portland Street was known as Motor Row - with a total of 33 car showrooms (including Brock House) at the peak. Here's a soundless Pathe clip from 1933, when they launched the area as "Britain's Permanent Motor Show". The dais might just be in front of Brock....

LONDON'S PERMANENT MOTOR SHOW! aka LONDON'S PAERMANENT