Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

Synopsis

This is the unlikely tale of how two Welsh farming brothers turned their dairy farm into one of the most successful recording studios of all time, producing four decades of legendary rock music.
Fifty years ago, deep in the Welsh countryside, brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward were starting out in the family dairy farming business. But they yearned to do something different – they wanted to make music. So they built a studio in the attic of their farmhouse and started recording with their friends. Kingsley’s new wife, Ann, left her job in the local bank to do the books, and they continued farming all the while. Animals were kicked out of barns and musicians were moved into Nan’s spare bedroom. Inadvertently, they’d launched the world’s first independent residential recording studio: Rockfield.

Director Biography

Hannah Berryman specialises in bringing past tense narratives into the here & now. Her documentaries focus on history & the arts, including BAFTA shortlisted The Brick in the Wall Kids, Grierson nominated High Society Brides & A Very English Education for the BBC; and Rose D’Or Arts nominated film with dancer Akram Khan Can We Live With Robots.