OVO Arena Wembley
A show at the old Empire Pool
Engineers Way, Wembley · Ticketed shows · see the venue’s listings
The 1934 hall T. Rex played twice on 18 March 1972, Grade II listed, 12,500 seats. Go to a show to go inside.
See the venue
Tyrannosaurus Rex 1967 · T. Rex 1970
T. Rex
It began on a rug: two young men cross-legged on a club floor, a guitar, bongos and a Chinese gong, and the audience sitting on the floor with them.
Stoke Newington Common, Hackney · 1947–1965
Mark Feld, of the common.
Then Marc Bolan, of Decca.
He was born Mark Feld at Hackney Hospital on 30 September 1947 and grew up on Stoke Newington Common with his elder brother, Harry.
His mother, Phyllis, ran a stall at Berwick Street Market in Soho; his father, Sid, sold cosmetics and had driven lorries.
In 1962 Town magazine photographed him, as Mark Feld, as an early example of the mods. He signed to Decca in August 1965 as Marc Bolan; his first single, The Wizard, came out on 19 November 1965.
The London Borough of Hackney put a plaque on his childhood home in 2005.
His childhood home is a private house, so it is not on the map. The photograph is the street sign; Hackney’s plaque is on the front of the house.
Where this comes from
Took’s kit: bongos, tabla, finger cymbals, a talking drum, kazoos, a Pixiphone and a Chinese gong
Bang a gong.
Call the band onto the rug.
An empty rug on a club floor
Two on the floor, eighty round them. Strike the gong to begin.
Where this comes from
Six rings, and the duo on the floor becomes four men plugged in.
Trident Studios, St Anne’s Court · 1970
A capo on a bass.
Handclaps in the gents.
Visconti’s bass, played by Bolan
Clamp the capo where Bolan put it.
They wanted a backbeat, so the handclaps were done in a men’s room just off the studio, with a microphone set up inside.
Bolan shortened the name to T. Rex, and Ride a White Swan, out on 9 October 1970, was the first single under it.
Where this comes from
Trident Studios · 17 St Anne’s Court, Soho
David Bowie made Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust here too; a blue plaque for him went up in 2017.
No longer a studio: see the building and its Bowie plaque from St Anne’s Court, a Soho alley.
Bowie’s side of St Anne’s Court is in the David Bowie World and Ziggy Stardust.
Clarendon Gardens, Maida Vale · 1970–1972
The first-floor flat
Bolan and his wife, June, lived in a first-floor flat here from late 1970 to late 1972.
English Heritage says Ride a White Swan, Hot Love and Get It On were written and recorded at home here. He left in late 1972 because the fans outside had become oppressive.
English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque here on 30 September 2025, what would have been his 78th birthday; Rick Wakeman, members of the Damned and Bobby Gillespie spoke.
A private house of flats, so it is not on the map. The plaque is on the front, by the pavement; please leave the residents in peace.
Where this comes from
Electric Warrior · 1971
Three cities’ tapes.
One desk in Soho.
Carry each box to the desk at Trident.
Visconti’s list. The album’s session log also names AIR and Advision in London.
Where this comes from
The Château d’Hérouville · February 1972
The Slider, abroad
On Elton John’s recommendation, most of The Slider was recorded at the château from 3 February 1972, to avoid British tax.
Visconti says the backing tracks took two days: eight songs went down on the first, after 18 hours at the desk. Bolan had to play all his guitar parts out of the country; the finishing and mixing were done in London.
A private working studio, not open for visits: see the gates from the village street.
Where this comes from
Elton John made three albums here: the Elton John World and the Hérouville albums.
The Empire Pool, Wembley · Saturday 18 March 1972
Two shows in a day.
Ringo filmed both.
T. Rex · Empire Pool · 75p
Pick a show.
T. Rex played two shows here on 18 March 1972, a matinee and an evening. Tickets were 75p. Bolan had the idea of filming them and hired Ringo Starr at Apple Films to direct and produce. Born to Boogie came out in December 1972.
Overdubs: Wikipedia’s account of the film.
Where this comes from
The Empire Pool, Wembley · OVO Arena Wembley, Engineers Way
The Empire Pool opened in July 1934, built for the British Empire Games. It is Grade II listed and seats 12,500 today as OVO Arena Wembley. The Empire Pool was renamed Wembley Arena on 1 February 1978.
A working arena, now OVO Arena Wembley: the doors open for shows.
Apple, 3 Savile Row · 6 April 1972
On 6 April 1972 Ringo Starr filmed T. Rex at Apple Studios in Savile Row, with Ringo on drums and Elton John on piano. They played Tutti Frutti and an early, fast Children of the Revolution for the film.
See the building and its plaque from the street.
Where this comes from
The rooftop and the rest: The Beatles.
Tittenhurst Park · 1972
Born to Boogie has an acoustic set Bolan played in the grounds of Lennon’s mansion. Tittenhurst Park, a Georgian house near Sunningdale, was John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s home from 1969 to 1971, and Ringo Starr’s from 1973.
A private estate, not open to visitors and not on the map. The photograph is the gate.
Where this comes from
In 2020 Bolan, Steve Currie, Mickey Finn and Bill Legend went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Ringo Starr inducted them.
Where this comes from
Granada, Manchester · 7 September 1977
The last Marc.
Bowie the final guest.
In August 1977 Granada gave Bolan a six-part series, Marc, shown in ITV’s after-school slot.
The last show was recorded at Granada’s Manchester studios on 7 September 1977, with David Bowie as the final guest. Bowie sang Heroes, then joined the band for a closing jam; Bolan signed off by thanking all the cats.
The show went out after Bolan’s funeral. Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, opened on the former Granada site on 18 October 2023.
The old studios are mostly gone. Aviva Studios on Water Street stands on the site; go in with a ticket for a show.
Where this comes from
Bowie’s own story: the David Bowie World. Granada’s studios are also in Joy Division.
Queen’s Ride, Barnes · since 16 September 1977
A tree, a stone,
and steps the fans built.
On 16 September 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday, Bolan died when the car he was travelling in struck a fence post and a sycamore tree on Queen’s Ride.
Fans began leaving flowers by the sycamore. The Performing Right Society set a memorial stone there in September 1997. The T. Rex Action Group, formed in 1999, holds the lease on the site and looks after the tree; it built the steps up the bank in 2000.
Open ground by Queen’s Ride. The steps keep visitors off the road; take care crossing.
Where this comes from
His son, Rolan Bolan, unveiled a bronze bust by Jean Robillard for the 25th anniversary, in September 2002. Small plaques on the steps remember Steve Peregrin Took, Steve Currie and Mickey Finn, among others. A noticeboard opposite the tree takes fans’ drawings and messages.
Where this comes from
Golders Green Crematorium · 62 Hoop Lane, Golders Green
His funeral was held here on 20 September 1977; David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Tony Visconti and Steve Harley were among the musicians there.
His ashes were later buried under a rose bush in the grounds.
The memorial gardens open every day, 9am to 5pm. A quiet place: please keep it so.
Where this comes from
The London Cremation Company
Golders Green Crematorium gardens
62 Hoop Lane, Golders Green · Daily 9am–5pm · free
The memorial gardens where his ashes lie under a rose bush. A quiet place.
Plan a visitWhere it is now
8 places on the map, in Golders Green, Soho, Covent Garden, Wembley, Barnes, Hérouville and Manchester. His childhood home, the Maida Vale flat and Tittenhurst are private, and the Tottenham Court Road basement is not identified, so they are not pinned.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The memorial gardens open every day, 9am to 5pm. A quiet place: please keep it so.
Golders Green Crematorium gardens, 2015. Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0 62 Hoop Lane, Golders Green
Golders Green Crematorium
His funeral was held here on 20 September 1977; David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Tony Visconti and Steve Harley were among the musicians there.
The memorial gardens open every day, 9am to 5pm. A quiet place: please keep it so.
Where this comes from
Stay
Sleep in Soho.
A Georgian townhouse hotel a few minutes from St Anne’s Court.
Hazlitt’s
Hazlitt’s
Soho, London
A Georgian townhouse hotel in Soho, named after the essayist who lived there, its bedrooms named after his friends. A few minutes from St Anne’s Court and Berwick Street; it claims no T. Rex history. Pictured: the former Trident Studios.
Check roomsGo there
Stand where it happened.
The old Empire Pool, the gardens at Golders Green, and Soho by tour.
OVO Arena Wembley
A show at the old Empire Pool
Engineers Way, Wembley · Ticketed shows · see the venue’s listings
The 1934 hall T. Rex played twice on 18 March 1972, Grade II listed, 12,500 seats. Go to a show to go inside.
See the venueThe London Cremation Company
Golders Green Crematorium gardens
62 Hoop Lane, Golders Green · Daily 9am–5pm · free
The memorial gardens where his ashes lie under a rose bush. A quiet place.
Plan a visit
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London rock music tours
London
Live marketplace results for rock history walks in Soho and Covent Garden. Check each itinerary for the stops you want.
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Compare toursWhat’s on
The songs, live.
The tribute band on tour this autumn.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
Books and records.
Visconti’s own story, a biography, and Electric Warrior and The Slider on vinyl.
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Tony Visconti: The Autobiography
Tony Visconti
The producer’s own story of Bowie, Bolan and Brooklyn, HarperCollins, 2007.
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Ride a White Swan: The Lives and Death of Marc Bolan
Lesley-Ann Jones
A biography; this is Hodder & Stoughton’s 2013 edition.
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Electric Warrior
T. Rex · LP, Fly, 1971
The British Fly LP of 24 September 1971, eight weeks at number one.
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The Slider
T. Rex · LP, EMI, 1972
The 1972 British LP, made mostly at the Château d’Hérouville.
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.
The tape boxes
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
12 of 12 places · 18 of 18 Moments
Stoke Newington Common
Stoke Newington Common, Hackney
Mark Feld
He is born in Hackney and grows up on Stoke Newington Common.
Faces in Town
Town magazine photographs the teenage Mark Feld as an early mod.
The Wizard
Signed to Decca as Marc Bolan, he puts out his first single.
Hackney’s plaque
Hackney marks his childhood home.
Golders Green Crematorium
62 Hoop Lane, Golders Green
Golders Green
His funeral; Bowie, Rod Stewart and Visconti are there.
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road, Fitzrovia
Eighty on the floor
Tony Visconti finds Tyrannosaurus Rex at a club on Tottenham Court Road, the audience sitting on the floor.
Middle Earth, 43 King Street
43 King Street, Covent Garden
There Was A Time
The duo play Middle Earth; the tape comes out in 2000.
Trident Studios
17 St Anne’s Court, Soho
Ride a White Swan
The first T. Rex single: Bolan on Visconti’s bass with a capo, handclaps in the men’s room.
Electric Warrior
Made in four studios and mixed at Trident; eight weeks at number one.
Apple, 3 Savile Row
3 Savile Row, Mayfair
The Apple jam
Ringo on drums and Elton John on piano with T. Rex at Apple Studios.
Clarendon Gardens, Maida Vale
Clarendon Gardens, Maida Vale
The first-floor flat
Bolan and June live in Clarendon Gardens through the first hits.
A blue plaque
English Heritage marks the Maida Vale flat on his 78th birthday.
The Empire Pool, Wembley
OVO Arena Wembley, Engineers Way
Two shows, one day
A matinee and an evening at the Empire Pool, both filmed by Ringo Starr.
Tittenhurst Park
Near Sunningdale, Berkshire
In Lennon’s grounds
Bolan plays an acoustic set at Tittenhurst for Born to Boogie.
Marc Bolan’s Rock Shrine
Queen’s Ride, near Gipsy Lane, Barnes
Queen’s Ride
Bolan dies in a car crash in Barnes, two weeks before his 30th birthday.
The bust
Rolan Bolan unveils the bronze bust at the shrine.
The Château d’Hérouville
Rue Paul Bagnard, Hérouville-en-Vexin, Val-d’Oise
The Slider
Backing tracks in two days at the château, guitars played abroad.
Old Granada Studios
Quay Street and Water Street, St John’s, Manchester
The last Marc
Bowie is the final guest on Bolan’s Granada series.