View showing the auditorium at the Aeolian Hall at 135-137 New Bond Street, Mayfair. Built in 1876 for amateur artist, Sir Coutts Lindsay, to designs by William Thomas Sams at a cost of £30,000, the building began life as the Grosvenor Gallery and in 1883 was lit entirely by electricity. The builders were G. H. & A. Bywater. It was renamed the Aeolian Hall in 1903 after the company who manufactured and sold pianolas from the premises and as a showroom for their musical instruments. The former main art gallery was converted into an auditorium where classical concerts were performed. In March 1943 the BBC took over the premises to record and broadcast radio concerts, including several performed by The Beatles in the early 1960s. Following the BBC's departure in the mid 1970s, the hall remained empty until the late twentieth century, when it was converted to a high-end retail emporium. The building is Grade II listed; listing number 1266793. A grand piano is in the centre of the hall with an upturned piano stool on its lid and a piano cover on the floor. The room has rows of foldaway seating, a large mobile humidifier behind the piano, two glass screens, one with a view of the recording control room, a clock, and an exit sign above a side door. Three arch-shaped windows have semicircular blinds. The walls are covered in decorative mahogany panelling, with ventilation grilles visible. Fluorescent lighting panels hang from the arch-shaped wooden ceiling and a microphone is suspended by wires above the piano. There are also two cabinets, a table and a music stand. The polished wood floor is partly covered by carpeting.