WaterRat Music Studios

The Studio was founded by us,

Jayne & Kim back in 1993.

We had both been involved in the local music

scene since the 1980s, and knew from experience

how difficult it could be to find good quality,

affordable rehearsal and recording space.

So, rather than just complain about it,

we decided to build one ourselves.

Our Story

Why WaterRat Matters

How we help the community

Looking ahead

Why we are applying to become a charity

Our first studio was on Platt's Eyot,an island in the River Thames near Hampton hence the name WaterRat.

The Bridge - Not ideal when bands arrive with

a full drum kit

The island -

Lovely in summer not so much in the winter

It was a brilliant, slightly mad place to start. Access to the island was over a narrow bridge that most cars could not use, so we used a little Honda Acty van to ferry bands' gear across. Even the building materials had to be taken over by barge.

Tote that barge and lift that bale

The famous little van

With help from family, we managed to get the studio built in around three months and opened in the summer of 1993.

Those shorts do NOT count as PPE

Jayne as a trainee brickie's mate

We stayed on the island for several years, but eventually our lease came to an end and the landlords would

not renew it because they had plans to redevelop the site

(which incidentally they still haven't done nearly 30 years later).

This did mean we had to start again.

1993 -2001

2001 - 2013

Jayne now a fully-fledged brickie.

Less hair, more sensible work wear!

Careful !! - Don't drop it

Finishing touches

Very hard to watch

All Gone !

After a long search, we found a unit in Woking.

It was just what we needed, although, as usual,

it needed a lot of work, but the good news was

that this time we did not have

to get all the materials there by boat.

With the help of friends and family, we spent

months converting an old industrial unit,

again doing most of the work ourselves,

and finally opened in November 2001.

We expected to be there for the long haul,

But after about ten years we discovered

that the building was due to be demolished

as part of road improvement works.

That came as a real shock.

2013 - Present

For once we didn’t have to build it all ourselves

Hopefully our home for years to come

After discussions with Woking Borough Council,

they recognised that the studio had

become an important local facility and offered

to build us a new purpose-built studio nearby.

We moved into the current building in June 2013

and were onlyclosed for around two weeks during

The move,which meant we could keep things

going for the bands, teachers, students

and groups who used us regularly.

Since then, WaterRat has operated as a not- for-profit limited company, with the aim

of keeping the facility available and affordable for the local community.

We have never really run the studio as a purely commercial business.

The aim has always been to charge enough to keep the doors open,

pay the bills and look after the building, while keeping the space accessible

to as many people as possible.

Music studios are not easy places to create. They need specialist rooms, soundproofing, equipment, parking, access, and a location where noise will not cause problems. Once a facility like this disappears, it is very hard to replace. That is why we feel so strongly about protecting WaterRat for the future.

Over the years, the studio has become much more than just a place where bands rehearse. It is a meeting place, a creative space, a learning environment, and for many people a big part of their social life. Some people come here to rehearse for gigs, some to record, some to take lessons, some to sit music exams, and some simply because music gives them confidence, purpose and a sense of belonging.

We have five rehearsal rooms and a recording studio, and unusually for this type of facility, the building is accessible, including the upstairs recording studio. That matters to us because music should not only be available to people who can afford expensive studios or who fit neatly into a standard commercial model.

We help the community mainly by keeping a specialist music facility available at realistic prices, and by using that facility to support people and organisations who might otherwise struggle to access it.

That includes:

offering rehearsal space at reduced rates for local music teachers, lessons and individual practice
hosting a weekly children's music workshop for around 30 weeks a year at a heavily subsidised rate
providing a venue for more than 30 days of face-to-face music exams each year
offering discounted recording sessions for local schools
supporting community choirs, charity groups and local organisations with low-cost or free recording where possible
recording charity singles and supporting charity events
loaning equipment and expertise to local schools and organisations for concerts and music events
giving students and young people the chance to sit in on recording sessions and see what working in a real studio is like
offering work opportunities and experience to vulnerable or disadvantaged people in the community

Since Covid, we have also become especially important as one of the very few remaining local venues for face-to-face music exams. In some cases, we are the only practical local option for students who still need or prefer to take exams in person rather than online.

The recording side of what we do is also important. Recording normally requires both specialist space and someone with the skills to engineer the session. Because we have the studio, and because we and others are often willing to give time voluntarily, we can support schools, community groups and charity projects in a way that would be difficult or impossible without the building and equipment.

After more than 30 years of WaterRat, we have started thinking seriously about

the long-term future of the studio.

WaterRat has never been just a normal commercial business to us. It has been a huge part of our lives, and over the years it has become part of the local music community as well. A lot of people have rehearsed here, recorded here, taken exams here, learned here, worked here, made friends here,

and in some cases grown up here.

As we get older, we want to make sure that what has been built does not simply disappear

when we eventually step back.

The current studio is a specialist, purpose-built music facility, and places like this are becoming increasingly rare. Once a building like this is lost, it is very hard to replace. That is why we believe the best future for WaterRat is to become a registered charity, with a proper charitable structure and trustees who can help protect the facility for the community in the years ahead.

There are practical financial reasons too. Running a building like this is expensive, and we have always relied on keeping costs under control so that the studio can remain affordable. Recent changes in local authority support have made long-term planning even more important, but our main reason for pursuing charitable status is to protect the studio for the future.

Our aim is to preserve WaterRat as a community recreational music facility for Woking and the surrounding area - somewhere that can continue to support musicians, young people, schools, teachers, community groups, charities and local residents long into the future. For us, becoming a charity is not about changing what WaterRat is. It is about protecting what WaterRat has always tried to be.