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Elton John in a patterned shirt and round glasses, mouth open mid-song, playing a grand piano
Hamburg, March 1972. Heinrich Klaffs · CC BY-SA 2.0

Pinner · West Hollywood · Hérouville · Watford · Stockholm

Elton JohnPinner to Stockholm, 1947–2023

A pub pianist called Reggie takes a new name, kicks a piano stool across a West Hollywood stage, and ends up in glasses set with 103 diamonds. Look through the frames, then go and stand in the rooms.

Elton John in large round glasses, framed by a huge fan of white feathers
Rock Music Awards publicity, 1975. CBS Television · Public domain

Pinner and Northwood Hills · 25 March 1947 onwards

Strike out a name.

Change of name · deed poll

  1. Reginald Kenneth Dwight
  2.  
  3.  

Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Born in Pinner, 25 March 1947.

Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in Pinner, Middlesex, on 25 March 1947. Pinner is now part of the London Borough of Harrow.

When his mother remarried, the family moved into flat 3A at Frome Court, an eight-flat block not far from their earlier homes. He lived there from the age of 15, in 1962, until his first success as Elton John in 1971.

Sources
Pinner Hill RoadPinner, MiddlesexPrivate · not mapped
Frome CourtPinner Road, PinnerPrivate · not mapped
A narrow village high street of old timbered shops rising to a church tower on a grey day
Pinner High Street, October 2023: the village both homes belong to. Bryn Holmes · CC BY-SA 2.0
A large brick inter-war pub building with a dark tiled roof and a sign reading Namaste Lounge
The former Northwood Hills Hotel on Joel Street, now the Namaste Lounge, March 2024. Bryn Holmes · CC BY-SA 2.0

1962 · Joel Street, Northwood Hills · 20 km from the Academy

The Northwood Hills Hotel

As a teenager he was hired as the pianist at the Northwood Hills Hotel, a pub near home, playing Thursday to Sunday nights.

Known simply as Reggie, he played popular standards. On 29 May 2010 the building, by then the Namaste Lounge, was given a PRS for Music Heritage Award plaque.

A round black plaque on a brick wall reading Sir Elton John CBE first gigged here 1962
The PRS for Music Heritage Award plaque on the former Northwood Hills Hotel, March 2024. Bryn Holmes · CC BY-SA 2.0

The plaque says Sir Elton John CBE first gigged here, in 1962.

Now the Namaste Lounge, an Indian restaurant and bar: the plaque is on the front, by the door.

Sources
A red-brick and stone Edwardian building behind a plane tree on a sunny pavement
The Royal Academy of Music on Marylebone Road, June 2022. David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0

From age 11 · Marylebone Road, London

The Royal Academy of Music

At 11 he won a scholarship as a Junior Exhibitor at the Royal Academy of Music, and went on Saturday mornings for the next four years.

In 2002 the Academy gave him an honorary doctorate. He now endows scholarships there.

The Academy’s Museum is free and open to everyone on Fridays, 11am to 6pm; step-free entry by the ramp at the main door.

Sources
Royal Academy of Music

Royal Academy of Music Museum

Marylebone Road, London · Free · Fridays 11am–6pm

The Academy where he went on Saturday mornings from the age of 11. The Museum is free and open to everyone on Fridays; check before travelling for a particular display.

Plan a visit

9081 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood · 25 August 1970

Kick the stool.

Elton made his American debut at Doug Weston’s Troubadour on the night of 25 August 1970. Neil Diamond, who then held the club’s attendance record, introduced him to the crowd.

The stool is still under him.

In the audience were Quincy Jones, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Gordon Lightfoot and Danny Hutton.

Nigel Olsson played drums and Dee Murray bass. They played eight shows over six nights. Robert Hilburn’s review ran on page 22 of the Los Angeles Times on 27 August.

Still a working club, open since 1957: buy a ticket for a show. The box office opens at door time on show days.

Sources
A white club front with the name Troubadour in black gothic letters along the canopy
Doug Weston's Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, December 2006. Gary Minnaert · Public domain
Elton John on stage in a glittering jacket, smiling, against a black background
Eighteen months after the Troubadour: on stage in Hamburg, 16 March 1972. Heinrich Klaffs · CC BY-SA 2.0
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Hérouville-en-Vexin, Val-d’Oise · 1972–1973

Words on the piano.

Bernie brought his typewriter and the band set up in the dining room. Bernie wrote at night and left the words on Elton’s piano for the morning.

Three pages, none on the piano yet.

A residential studio about 25 miles north-west of Paris. Honky Château, in January 1972, was the first time Elton recorded there.

New owners took the château on in 2015. The studio quietly reopened in 2020 while the rest of the building is restored.

A private working studio under restoration, not open for visits: see the gates from the village street.

Sources
An old black and white postcard of iron gates in a stone wall before a tall-roofed château
The Château d'Hérouville on an old postcard: the gates and the 18th-century house that became a residential studio. Unknown photographer (old postcard) · Public domain
Bernie Taupin, chin on hand, beside Elton John in a wide-brimmed hat and dark glasses holding sheets of paper
Bernie Taupin and Elton John, 1971: the words and the music. Uni Records (Universal City Records) · Public domain

The Optique Boutique, Sunset Plaza · West Hollywood

Set the stones.

One pair carried a rainbow on frames of 18-carat gold and platinum, set with 103 diamonds. It cost $3,200. Pick a big room he filled and its share of the stones drops into the frames.

Elton John in a bowler hat, star-covered suit and platform boots, sitting on the pavement beside his Walk of Fame star
Sitting by his new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 24 October 1975. Los Angeles Times · CC BY 4.0

0 of 103 stones set.

Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace

Las Vegas Strip

Stay in the hotel round the Colosseum, where he played 450 shows across two residencies between 2004 and 2018. The theatre still runs residencies; the current bill is on the hotel’s shows page.

See the shows
Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Westminster, London · Mon–Fri 9.30am–4.30pm · Sat 9am–4pm

Where he sang at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Open for sightseeing six days a week; Sundays are for services.

Book tickets

Vicarage Road, Watford · 1976–1983

Up the divisions.

  1. First Division
  2. Second Division
  3. Third Division
  4. Fourth DivisionWatford
FA Cup finalSir Elton John Stand

1976–77: Fourth Division · Elton is chairman.

A lifelong supporter, Elton became Watford’s chairman in 1976 and soon appointed Graham Taylor as manager.

Home of Watford FC: go in with a ticket for a home match. The Sir Elton John Stand is on the east side.

Sources
The curved navy and yellow bays of a football stand along a street, each bay carrying a letter of WATFORD FC
Vicarage Road Stadium, Watford, 5 September 2026. Matt Brown · CC BY 4.0
A mannequin in a quilted yellow, red and black costume and scarf inside a red display case topped with sparkly glasses and the word Elton
An Elton John stage costume inspired by Watford FC, in yellow, red and black, shown at Watford Museum in 2014. Cnbrb · CC0
Watford FC

A match at Vicarage Road

Watford, Hertfordshire

Watch Watford at the ground of the club he chaired, with the Sir Elton John Stand on the east side. Fixtures and tickets are on the club’s site.

Fixtures and tickets

Visit

Where it is now

11 places you can visit. His Pinner birthplace on Pinner Hill Road and the family flat at Frome Court are private homes, so neither is on the map.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Now the Namaste Lounge, an Indian restaurant and bar: the plaque is on the front, by the door.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The Academy’s Museum is free and open to everyone on Fridays, 11am to 6pm; step-free entry by the ramp at the main door.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open for sightseeing Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm (last entry 3.30pm) and Saturday 9am to 4pm; Sundays for services only.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Home of Watford FC: go in with a ticket for a home match. The Sir Elton John Stand is on the east side.

  1. A large brick inter-war pub building with a dark tiled roof and a sign reading Namaste Lounge
    The former Northwood Hills Hotel on Joel Street, now the Namaste Lounge, March 2024. Bryn Holmes · CC BY-SA 2.0

    Joel Street, Northwood Hills

    The Northwood Hills Hotel

    As a teenager he was hired as the pianist at the Northwood Hills Hotel, a pub near home, playing Thursday to Sunday nights.

    Now the Namaste Lounge, an Indian restaurant and bar: the plaque is on the front, by the door.

    Sources
  2. A red-brick and stone Edwardian building behind a plane tree on a sunny pavement
    The Royal Academy of Music on Marylebone Road, June 2022. David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0

    Marylebone Road, London

    The Royal Academy of Music

    At 11 he won a scholarship as a Junior Exhibitor at the Royal Academy of Music, and went on Saturday mornings for the next four years.

    The Academy’s Museum is free and open to everyone on Fridays, 11am to 6pm; step-free entry by the ramp at the main door.

    Sources
  3. The twin Gothic towers of Westminster Abbey against a deep blue sky
    The west front of Westminster Abbey, January 2017. Robert Brook · CC0

    20 Dean’s Yard, Westminster, London

    Westminster Abbey

    The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, was held in the Abbey on 6 September 1997. It was televised and watched by millions worldwide.

    Open for sightseeing Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm (last entry 3.30pm) and Saturday 9am to 4pm; Sundays for services only.

    Sources
  4. The curved navy and yellow bays of a football stand along a street, each bay carrying a letter of WATFORD FC
    Vicarage Road Stadium, Watford, 5 September 2026. Matt Brown · CC BY 4.0

    Vicarage Road, Watford

    Vicarage Road

    A lifelong supporter, Elton became Watford’s chairman in 1976 and soon appointed Graham Taylor as manager.

    Home of Watford FC: go in with a ticket for a home match. The Sir Elton John Stand is on the east side.

    Sources

Stay

Sleep by the Colosseum.

Caesars Palace, the hotel round the theatre where he played 450 shows.

Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace

Las Vegas Strip

Stay in the hotel round the Colosseum, where he played 450 shows across two residencies between 2004 and 2018. The theatre still runs residencies; the current bill is on the hotel’s shows page.

See the shows

Go there

An academy, an abbey and a ground.

Free Fridays at the Royal Academy of Music, the Abbey, a Watford home match and West Hollywood music walks.

Royal Academy of Music

Royal Academy of Music Museum

Marylebone Road, London · Free · Fridays 11am–6pm

The Academy where he went on Saturday mornings from the age of 11. The Museum is free and open to everyone on Fridays; check before travelling for a particular display.

Plan a visit
Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Westminster, London · Mon–Fri 9.30am–4.30pm · Sat 9am–4pm

Where he sang at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Open for sightseeing six days a week; Sundays are for services.

Book tickets
Watford FC

A match at Vicarage Road

Watford, Hertfordshire

Watch Watford at the ground of the club he chaired, with the Sir Elton John Stand on the east side. Fixtures and tickets are on the club’s site.

Fixtures and tickets
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What’s on

A night at the Troubadour.

The club where America first heard him still has a show most nights.

Checking current event dates…

Take it home

Three posters, a book and two records.

Original posters from our store, his autobiography and two LPs tied to these places.

Printed Originals · Our poster store

The Kinks & Elton John, Fillmore West (1970)

An original 1970 concert poster from the year of the Troubadour debut, art by David Singer. 14 × 22 in, rolled, mint.

In stock

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Printed Originals · Our poster store

Elton John, Blue Moves (1976)

An original 1976 poster for the album. 22 × 35 in, rolled, mint.

In stock

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Printed Originals · Our poster store

Elton John, World Tour 1989–1990

An original tour poster. 16 × 22.5 in, rolled, previously folded, near mint.

In stock

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Me

Elton John

His autobiography, published in 2019.

Find the book
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Honky Château

Elton John · LP, DJM DJLPH 423, 1972

The first album made at the Château d’Hérouville, with Bernie’s pages left on the piano overnight.

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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John · 2LP, DJM DJLPD 1001, 1973

Written in Jamaica, recorded in France, mixed at Trident in London.

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Find a copy

Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

The sources

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.

13 of 13 places · 18 of 18 Moments

  • Pinner Hill Road

    Pinner, Middlesex

    • Reginald Kenneth Dwight

      Born in Pinner, Middlesex.

  • Frome Court

    Pinner Road, Pinner

    • Flat 3A

      The family moves into Frome Court; he lives there until his first success.

    • Elton Hercules John

      Reg becomes Elton John after two bandmates, and then, by deed poll, Elton Hercules John.

  • The Northwood Hills Hotel

    Joel Street, Northwood Hills

    • Reggie at the piano

      The pub pianist at the Northwood Hills Hotel, Thursday to Sunday.

  • The Royal Academy of Music

    Marylebone Road, London

    • Saturday mornings

      A Junior Exhibitor at the Royal Academy of Music, every Saturday morning for four years.

  • The Troubadour

    9081 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood

    • The American debut

      Introduced by Neil Diamond; the piano stool goes flying.

  • The Château d’Hérouville

    Rue Paul Bagnard, Hérouville-en-Vexin, Val-d’Oise

    • Words on the piano

      Honky Château is made in the château; Bernie leaves the words on the piano overnight.

    • Two weeks in June

      Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player is written and recorded in a fortnight.

    • Not Jamaica after all

      Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, written in Kingston, is recorded in France.

  • Sunset Plaza

    Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood

    • 103 diamonds

      A rainbow pair of gold and platinum frames from the Optique Boutique.

  • Dodger Stadium

    1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles

    • Number 1

      Two sell-out nights in a sequined Dodgers uniform.

  • Madison Square Garden

    4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Manhattan

    • The bet

      John Lennon joins him on stage at the Garden: Lennon’s last concert appearance.

  • Westminster Abbey

    20 Dean’s Yard, Westminster, London

    • Candle in the Wind

      He sings at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

  • The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

    3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas

    • 450 shows

      Two residencies at the Colosseum, 2004 to 2018.

  • 3Arena (Tele2 Arena in 2023)

    Johanneshov, Stockholm

    • The last of 330

      The farewell tour ends in Stockholm.

  • Vicarage Road

    Vicarage Road, Watford

    • Chairman

      Chairman of his club, Fourth Division to second in the First.

    • Wembley

      Watford’s FA Cup final, lost 2–0 to Everton.

    • His name on a stand

      The Sir Elton John Stand opens.

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