Bowie, Queen, Coldplay – just some of the stars at farm studio

Monmouthshire farmer Kingsley Ward is something of a legend in the music world, as owner of Rockfield Studios, which has recorded some of the biggest stars of rock and pop. 

We headed down to his farm Monmouthshire, which is home to Rockfield Studios, as well as Kingsley’s Jersey herd, to hear how the studios went from converted pig shed to hall of fame.

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It was the lure of a peaceful creative outlet far from the city that attracted worldwide stars and, today, almost 60 years after it was founded by two entrepreneurial farming brothers, Rockfield Studios is still making hits.

Kingsley Ward (left) with brother Charles recording in Rockfield Studios

From farm to studio

The Ward family had bought the farm, originally a shire horse centre, in 1958.

They introduced pigs, a riding school and Guernsey cows and, after sons Kingsley and Charles finished their studies at Cirencester, they helped on the farm, turning to music as a hobby.

Kingsley Ward with his Jersey cows, Simmel and Sally © Rockfield Studios

Using a newly bought tape recorder in 1960, the brothers set about recording songs Charles had written, with their sights on making it in the music industry.

After seeing the label EMI and the record company’s location on a tape, the pair headed to Hayes in Middlesex, only to discover it was the factory not a recording venue.

Eventually they were directed to EMI in London to see the producer George Martin.

The pair could hardly believe their luck when they were told to record more songs and come back in six months’ time.

So they created their band, the Charles Kingsley Combo, and built a mini-studio in the attic, using pig feed bags for soundproofing.

They also started to record local bands, charging them £10 each. “We became one of the first commercial studios outside of London,” says Kingsley.

Charles (left) and Kingsley Ward © Rockfield Studios

Then in 1968, while recording at EMI in one – with the Beatles in the studio next door – Kingsley and Charles were inspired by the new tape machines being used.

When they headed home they closed the riding school and bought the same 8-track machine as EMI, creating the Coach House studio where the school once was.

“We caught up with the biggest record studio in the country,” says Kingsley of their new investment.

Queen: The beginning

He received a call from an up-and-coming band in 1974. “I’m sat here one day, and I get a phone call from Queen,” he recalls. “I thought ‘Queen’? What a bloody stupid name for a group.”

During their stay at the residential recording studio, which Kingsley and his brother, Charles, co-founded in the 1960s, the band created Sheer Heart Attack, an album that charted around the world. 

About a year later, Queen returned to Rockfield Studios to again use the building that had been converted from a piggery.

“I was stood next to Freddie Mercury in the office thinking: What is he doing?’ Kingsley explains. “He was writing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’!”

As the years passed, the farm played host to a long list of big names in the music world, from Rush, Iggy Pop and David Bowie to Adam and the Ants.

After several years working together and hosting bands from across the world, the brothers found their goals were no longer aligned, so in 1990 Charles built another studio while Kingsley remained at Rockfield and set about rebuilding the place.

“I spent £800,000, mostly borrowed by the way, as farmers do,” he says.

New generation

One of the new generation of superstars to visit was Oasis who, after recording their album Definitely Maybe, came to Rockfield to record “What’s the Story Morning Glory”.

While it’s uncertain whether the local legend is true that Liam Gallagher took an off-road spin in a combine during this time, what is clear is that the band wrote some of their best songs in the countryside.

Noel Gallagher also sat on a wall at the farm to record the guitars for “Wonderwall”. 

© MAG/Lizzie McLaughlin

In the years to come, Rockfield-recorded music monopolised the album charts, with the studios attracting bands such as Coldplay.

During one of their sessions, a technical glitch on one of the machines they were using prompted Chris Martin to work outside.

The producer made a comment to him about the stars shining, which later became the first line of the song “Yellow”.

“That’s what made Coldplay,” says Kingsley, who’s convinced the countryside’s star-filled sky was what inspired those lyrics. 

The farm offered some escapism, too, for other bands that were living the rock-and-roll lifestyle a bit too much.

“All these bands came flocking down from London because the record companies wanted to get them out of London where they could make great music, where they could write songs, where they can’t be interfered with – it got rid of all the drug problems,” says Kingsley.

Farming foundations

Despite all the success, the studios had their fair share of challenges, but Kingsley insists it was the resilience that comes from being a farmer that saw them through.

“With farming you get one good year, one bad year – when the red light comes on, you go to ground. Other people want to make money all the time and in farming you can’t do that.

We were so used to not having any money in farming that it was no difficulty to us when things went bad, we just went underground, hung on and kept going.”

This was particularly important when the recession hit, and many studios were forced to close.

What ultimately saved Rockfield during that time was a phone call Kingsley received about a band called The Stone Roses. 

Originally planning to stay at the farm for a couple of weeks, the band stuck around for 13 months writing their Second Coming album.

Kingsley Ward’s Jersey cows © MAG/Lizzie McLaughlin

Rockfield still welcomes artists new and old, and Kingsley’s daughter Lisa is now part of the business.

The farm’s Jersey cows are still in residence – Kingsley says they’re his real pride and joy.

The venue has secured its place in musical history. “We did it, we changed the world,” Kingsley says.

Boots and Heels

Our visit to Rockfield Studios is part of our Boots and Heels video series, hosted by Lizzie McLaughlin and Becca Wilson.

You can see the Rockfield Studio video below and follow the whole Boots and Heels UK tour, available on our social media platforms – look for @bootsandheelsuk, the Farmers Weekly YouTube channel and the Boots and Heels page here on FWi.

Kingsley Ward with hosts Becca Wilson (left) and Lizzie McLaughlin © MAG/Lizzie McLaughlin