Highgate · Twickenham · Barnes · Muscle Shoals · Celtic Park · Copacabana
A tartan is a sett: every coloured thread crosses every other. His places work the same way. A Highgate street crosses a Twickenham platform; a Barnes studio crosses a beach in Rio.
Highgate and Muswell Hill · 1945 on
Rod Stewart was born on 10 January 1945 in the house that stood at No. 507 Archway Road, the youngest of five children.
His father, a builder, later bought a newsagent further up Archway Road; the family lived above the shop and Rod delivered papers. His father and two brothers loved football and started a local team, the Highgate Redwings. In the early days he kept his spiky hair up with sugar water.
The house he was born in no longer stands and the family shop was a private home above a newsagent: walk the road, but nothing here is open to visit, and no house is mapped.
Tetherdown, Muswell Hill, London N10
He went to Highgate Primary and then William Grimshaw School, which is now Fortismere. He captained the school football team and played centre-half for Middlesex Schoolboys.
After school came a run of unskilled jobs; then he borrowed money from his brother for a guitar and busked and played London clubs.
A working school: see it from Tetherdown and do not go in.
Twickenham · 1964
As the story goes, the blues singer Long John Baldry found him on the platform at Twickenham, singing blues and playing harp while he waited for a train after one of Baldry’s gigs on Eel Pie Island.
Baldry offered him a gig on the spot.
The station wall, before June 2025.
A working South Western Railway station on the line from Waterloo; the plaque is at the station.
The gig before the train
He goes to one of Long John Baldry’s gigs on Eel Pie Island. The museum names Rod Stewart among the stars, with the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, who started out in Twickenham.
Eel Pie Island is private; groups can only reach it on the Eel Pie Artists’ open-studio weekends.
Open Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon to 5.30 pm (last entry 5 pm); £5, under-16s free with an adult. The island itself is private, except on its open-studio weekends.
1 Richmond Road, Twickenham · £5 · Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon to 5.30 pm
The museum of the island’s music, which names Rod Stewart among the stars who started out in Twickenham.
Plan a visitFrom Waterloo station · Private tours · ask the guide
A day by train from Waterloo through Barnes, Twickenham and Richmond, with coffee in the cinema that was a recording studio and the site of the Eel Pie Island venue. Private bookings only from September 2026.
Ask about a dateThe rooms · 1969 to 1974
1969 · 1971
Rod Stewart recorded his first album, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down, at Olympic. The Faces recorded A Nod Is As Good As a Wink… to a Blind Horse here between March and September 1971, co-producing with Glyn Johns.
It came out that November, reached No. 2 in Britain and No. 6 in America, and “Stay With Me” went to No. 6 in the UK.
The studio moved to Barnes in 1967, into a former TV studio in a building that began as a cinema; it closed in February 2009. Today it is a cinema, with a bar and bistro and a members’ club.
Now a cinema with a bar and bistro, open daily; a small recording studio works in the building again.
1971
Morgan opened in an old warehouse at Maybury Gardens, off Willesden High Road, in late 1967. Rod Stewart came back in 1971 to record Every Picture Tells a Story, with “Maggie May”.
A bar replaced the old ground-floor studio; Stewart remembered a few beers downstairs before going up to record, feel over perfection. Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne, hired for “Mandolin Wind”, made up the mandolin ending of “Maggie May” on the spot.
The studios were sold off in the 1980s; Maybury Gardens is a public street, and nothing inside is open to visit.
Side A: “Reason to Believe”. Radio has not turned it over yet.
“Maggie May” was the B-side of “Reason to Believe” until radio flipped the single; it then topped the UK and US charts at the same time, and so did the album.
5 November 1971
On 5 November 1971 Rod Stewart was presented with gold LPs, an Edison and an Oscar at the Hilton in Amsterdam. The Anefo photographer W. Punt shot him there in a tartan scarf.
A working hotel on the Apollolaan in Amsterdam-Zuid.
Apollolaan 138, Amsterdam · Book direct
The hotel on the Apollolaan where he was handed gold LPs, an Edison and an Oscar on 5 November 1971.
Check rooms23 December 1974
On 23 December 1974 the Faces played the Kilburn State, often listed as their final UK concert.
Keith Richards joined them for “Sweet Little Rock’n Roller”, “I’d Rather Go Blind” and “Twistin’ the Night Away”.
The cinema opened on 20 December 1937 with just over 4,000 seats; it is listed Grade II*. A church bought it in January 2008 and reopened it as Ruach Ministries on 10 July 2010.
A church since 2010: see the tower and facade from Kilburn High Road, and go in only for services.
The guide, as a loom
The Anefo photographer W. Punt shot him there in a tartan scarf. His father was from Leith. So here every real place is a thread of its own colour, in the order its story starts. Weave one in and it runs both ways across the cloth, as tartan threads do.
An empty warp. Twelve threads, one for each place. Weave one in.
Atlantic Crossing · 1975
The original sleeve of Atlantic Crossing (1975) credits five studios: A&R in New York, Criteria in Miami, Wally Heider in Los Angeles, Hi Recording in Memphis and Muscle Shoals Sound.
Five rooms on one sleeve, all dark. Light them.
Tom Dowd produced; among the players the sleeve lists the Memphis Horns, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood and Jimmy Johnson.
Songfacts says he recorded his “Sailing” at Muscle Shoals Sound, with a choir assembled by Bob Crewe, after Dowd woke him early to sing.
“Sailing” was the Sutherland Brothers’ song, from 1972; it became his third UK No. 1, then climbed to No. 3 again as the theme of a BBC series about HMS Ark Royal.
Guided tours of about 45 minutes; book a time on the studio’s site or turn up, and arrive ten minutes early.
3614 North Jackson Highway, Sheffield, Alabama · About 45 minutes
A guided tour of about 45 minutes round the studio on Jackson Highway, credited on the Atlantic Crossing sleeve. Book a time or turn up; arrive ten minutes early.
Book a tourCeltic Park · the Colosseum
His father was from Leith and supported Hibs; Rod says he became a Celtic fan from the day he met Jock Stein.
He first heard the song “Grace” sung from the terraces of Celtic Park. On 7 November 2012, the club’s 125th year, Celtic beat Barcelona 2–1 here, and cameras caught him in tears at the final whistle.
A signed ball on the stage. Kick it into the stand.
A statue of Jock Stein stands at the stadium. The tour takes in the boardroom, the dressing room, the tunnel and the dugout.
Stadium tours of about an hour run most days from the Sports Bar in the south-west corner; book ahead, and arrive ten minutes early.
Parkhead, Glasgow · Prices change with the booking date
About an hour through the boardroom, the dressing room and the tunnel, with a seat in the dugout. Meet at the Sports Bar in the south-west corner.
Book a tour
His Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum began in 2011 and ran, as Rod Stewart: The Hits, until 2024. Caesars counts more than 200 performances over 13 years in the 4,300-seat theatre.
He came back for The Encore Shows, announced for 27 May to 6 June 2026.
A 4,300-seat theatre inside Caesars Palace, open on show nights.
Copacabana · New Year’s Eve 1994
On New Year’s Eve 1994 Rod Stewart gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach for the City of Rio de Janeiro. Guinness World Records lists it as the largest attendance of a free concert: reportedly at least 3.5 million.
Bare sand. Lay the pavement for each night on this beach, to scale.
Guinness says the figure probably includes people who came mainly for the midnight fireworks; some sources say 4.2 million. On the same beach the Rolling Stones drew an estimated 1.2 million in February 2006, and Madonna about 1.6 million in May 2024.
A public beach, open all day, with the promenade along Avenida Atlântica.
Avenida Atlântica 1702, Rio de Janeiro · Book direct
140 rooms and suites on Avenida Atlântica, with a half-Olympic pool and its own area on Copacabana Beach. Pictured: the beach.
Check roomsRio de Janeiro
Live marketplace results for walking and city tours that take in Copacabana. Check each itinerary for the beach and the promenade.
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Compare toursThe whole cloth
11 places you can visit, from Muswell Hill to Copacabana. The house on Archway Road is gone and the family home was private, so the road is named and not mapped; Fortismere is a working school, Morgan a street of former studios and the Gaumont State a church, all best seen from outside.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working school: see it from Tetherdown and do not go in.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working South Western Railway station on the line from Waterloo; the plaque is at the station.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon to 5.30 pm (last entry 5 pm); £5, under-16s free with an adult. The island itself is private, except on its open-studio weekends.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Now a cinema with a bar and bistro, open daily; a small recording studio works in the building again.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The studios were sold off in the 1980s; Maybury Gardens is a public street, and nothing inside is open to visit.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A church since 2010: see the tower and facade from Kilburn High Road, and go in only for services.
Tetherdown, Muswell Hill, London N10
He went to Highgate Primary and then William Grimshaw School, which is now Fortismere.
A working school: see it from Tetherdown and do not go in.
London Road, Twickenham
As the story goes, the blues singer Long John Baldry found him on the platform at Twickenham, singing blues and playing harp while he waited for a train after one of Baldry’s gigs on Eel Pie Island.
A working South Western Railway station on the line from Waterloo; the plaque is at the station.
1–3 Richmond Road, Twickenham
The museum names Rod Stewart among the stars, with the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, who started out in Twickenham.
Open Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon to 5.30 pm (last entry 5 pm); £5, under-16s free with an adult. The island itself is private, except on its open-studio weekends.
117–123 Church Road, Barnes, London SW13
Rod Stewart recorded his first album, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down, at Olympic.
Now a cinema with a bar and bistro, open daily; a small recording studio works in the building again.
Maybury Gardens, off the High Road, Willesden, London NW10
Morgan opened in an old warehouse at Maybury Gardens, off Willesden High Road, in late 1967.
The studios were sold off in the 1980s; Maybury Gardens is a public street, and nothing inside is open to visit.
199 Kilburn High Road, London NW6
On 23 December 1974 the Faces played the Kilburn State, often listed as their final UK concert.
A church since 2010: see the tower and facade from Kilburn High Road, and go in only for services.
Stay
The Amsterdam Hilton of the gold LPs, and the Copacabana Palace on the beach.
Apollolaan 138, Amsterdam · Book direct
The hotel on the Apollolaan where he was handed gold LPs, an Edison and an Oscar on 5 November 1971.
Check roomsAvenida Atlântica 1702, Rio de Janeiro · Book direct
140 rooms and suites on Avenida Atlântica, with a half-Olympic pool and its own area on Copacabana Beach. Pictured: the beach.
Check roomsGo there
Muscle Shoals Sound, Celtic Park, the Eel Pie Island Museum, a rock’n’roll day out of Waterloo, and tours in Rio and Glasgow.
3614 North Jackson Highway, Sheffield, Alabama · About 45 minutes
A guided tour of about 45 minutes round the studio on Jackson Highway, credited on the Atlantic Crossing sleeve. Book a time or turn up; arrive ten minutes early.
Book a tourParkhead, Glasgow · Prices change with the booking date
About an hour through the boardroom, the dressing room and the tunnel, with a seat in the dugout. Meet at the Sports Bar in the south-west corner.
Book a tour1 Richmond Road, Twickenham · £5 · Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon to 5.30 pm
The museum of the island’s music, which names Rod Stewart among the stars who started out in Twickenham.
Plan a visitFrom Waterloo station · Private tours · ask the guide
A day by train from Waterloo through Barnes, Twickenham and Richmond, with coffee in the cinema that was a recording studio and the site of the Eel Pie Island venue. Private bookings only from September 2026.
Ask about a dateRio de Janeiro
Live marketplace results for walking and city tours that take in Copacabana. Check each itinerary for the beach and the promenade.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursGlasgow
Live marketplace results for Glasgow football and stadium tours. Check each itinerary for Celtic Park.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursWhat’s on
Glasgow and London on the last tour, as listed by the Official Charts Company.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
His autobiography, a book on the Faces and the records made in these rooms.
Rod Stewart
His own account, from Archway Road on.
Find the bookAndy Neill
The Faces, before, during and after.
Find the bookRod Stewart · LP, Vertigo, 1970
The first album, recorded at Olympic in Barnes.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyRod Stewart · LP, Mercury, 1971
Recorded at Morgan in Willesden, with “Maggie May”.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyFaces · LP, Rhino reissue, 2010
The Faces’ 1971 album, made at Olympic.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyRod Stewart · LP, Warner Bros., 1975
Five American studios on one sleeve, “Sailing” among the songs.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyDates, 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.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
12 of 12 places · 21 of 21 Moments
Archway Road, Highgate, north London
Born in the house at No. 507 Archway Road, Highgate, the youngest of five.
His father and brothers start a local football team, the Highgate Redwings.
Tetherdown, Muswell Hill, London N10
Captain of the William Grimshaw team, centre-half for Middlesex Schoolboys.
London Road, Twickenham
Waiting for a train, he sings blues and plays harp; Baldry offers him a gig on the spot.
South Western Railway unveils a plaque at Twickenham station.
1–3 Richmond Road, Twickenham
He goes to one of Long John Baldry’s gigs on Eel Pie Island.
117–123 Church Road, Barnes, London SW13
He records his first album, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down, at Olympic.
The Faces record A Nod Is As Good As a Wink… to a Blind Horse at Olympic; it reaches No. 2 in Britain.
Maybury Gardens, off the High Road, Willesden, London NW10
He records Every Picture Tells a Story at Morgan in Willesden, with “Maggie May”.
Radio flips “Reason to Believe”; “Maggie May” tops the UK and US charts at once, and so does the album.
199 Kilburn High Road, London NW6
The Faces’ final UK concert, with Keith Richards for three songs.
Apollolaan 138, Amsterdam
Gold LPs, an Edison and an Oscar, presented at the Hilton; he wears a tartan scarf.
3614 North Jackson Highway, Sheffield, Alabama
Atlantic Crossing is made in five American studios with Tom Dowd producing.
He sings the Sutherland Brothers’ “Sailing”; it becomes his third UK No. 1.
A BBC series about HMS Ark Royal takes “Sailing” as its theme, and it climbs to No. 3 again.
Caesars Palace, the Strip, Las Vegas
His Las Vegas residency opens at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
He says he no longer kicks signed footballs into the crowd: fans who caught them were mugged outside, there were “one or two lawsuits”, and a ball broke a friend’s glasses at the Hollywood Bowl.
The Encore Shows are announced for the Colosseum, 27 May to 6 June 2026.
Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro
A free New Year’s Eve concert on Copacabana Beach, listed by Guinness at reportedly 3.5 million.
Janefield Street, Parkhead, Glasgow
He meets Jock Stein and becomes a Celtic fan from that day.
Celtic beat Barcelona in the club’s 125th year; he is in tears at the final whistle.
