‘This Temple of the Arts and Muses’, part 2

John Wyver writes: In my previous post I enthused about Elizabeth Darling’s new book Palace of the Ether: Broadcasting House and the Architecture of the BBC, 1922-1932. Here I want to focus on just one aspect that Darling throws some light on, but which I am keen to explore further: the use from August 1932 of Studio BB (above, and in the images below) in the newly constructed BH for regular television transmissions by Baird’s 30-line mechanical system. BH officially opened on 15 May 1932 (the first transmissions were in March), and little more than two months later, the first of six ‘test’ television broadcasts was made from there, ahead of the official first night of 22 August. Although the standard histories acknowledge Studio BB, it is invariably described simply as being in the basement with no further details supplied. Even the bare designation ‘BB’ somehow suggests this space was a marginal afterthought, an impression reinforced by the invariable note that it was underground.…