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Alexandra Palace at Wood Green in North London may be the BBC's first official television headquarters.
The members of the Television Advisory Committee appointed to recommend a suitable site for the BBC's first official television transmitter have visited the Alexandra Palace to consider the advantages of that position for the installation of equipment to supply London and the Home Counties with sound and vision programmes.
One of North London's most prominent buildings, the Alexandra Palace has much to recommend its choice. Situated on a hill rising 324 ft above sea-level, the Palace buildings, which date from 1875 and cover nearly eight acres, have a tower at each of four corners rising a further 145 ft By making full use of any of these towers, which also contain, ample accommodation for the necessary studio and equipment rooms, an effective height of nearly 470 ft is available for the erection of aerials without any additional structures.
From the expanse of country visible on a clear day the optical range of an ultra-short-wave transmitter should be considerable, the red light at the end of Southend pier, about 36 miles away, being discernible at night.
If the television station does find its home at Alexandra Palace it will not be alone in the supply of public entertainment catered for under this roof, where a theatre, concert and exhibition halls, ball room and skating rink are to be found.
The Grand Central Hall, with its 57,330 sq ft and one of the tour largest grand organs in Europe, may one day earn the title of the world's largest broadcast studio. The hall has a seating capacity of 8,000.
An ideal subject for a popular type of television broadcast can be found within the boundaries of the grounds. The well known Alexandra Park racecourse lies at the foot of the southern slopes, a vantage point from which the whole of London stretches before the eye, and the Crystal Palace, the hills of Kent and Surrey appear almost within grasp.
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