Central Research Laboratories

The Central Research Laboratories (a.k.a. CRL) was established by Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. (EMI) and based at the Hayes Blythe Road factory complex in Middlesex. CRL carried out research and development on behalf of the individual operating companies which formed part of Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. record and electronics divisions. Including work undertaken on behalf of Government departments, public corporations and other outside bodies. The R & D department from 1931 until the 1970s advanced technologies in e.g. Recording systems and lacquers, including the world’s first system for recording and playing stereo sound, recording consoles for e.g. Abbey Road Studios, digitising, photomultipliers, silicon technology, data handling, medical X-ray scanners, missile & radar systems, coloured televisions, cameras, broadcasting systems and magnetic tapes. The laboratories continued throughout the 1980/90s under the control of Thorn Emi Plc.