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The house where Marc lived with his parents and brother
Harry from 1947 to 1962. The Felds occupied four rooms on two levels -
"a kitchen and bathroom were situated at the top of the long flight of
stairs, with a back bedroom and a large front living room which looked
across the common a few steps higher". As Mark grew up, the front living
room was transformed into the boy's bedroom where the brothers spent their
time listening to Saturday Night Theatre radio show. A few years
later rock'n'roll records replaced BBC radio. "Noisy? When you came in
that front door and he had that radiogram on, you could hear him
down three flights of stars,"- remembers Mrs. Perrone, the Felds' landlady.
Nearest Tube: Whitechapel or Hackney Central |
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First school Marc went to in September 1952, quite near
his home. Here he met Stephen Gould, a kindred spirit who shared his interest
in new pop music. So when Stephen decided to form a group with his class
mates Helen Shapiro, Susan Singer and Melvyn Fields, Marc was invited too.
The quintet - later referred to by Marc himself as Susie and the Hoola
Hoops - spent most of their 1957 summer holiday rehearsing, but in the
autumn all the band who were one year senior than Marc, moved on to secondary
school, leaving him behind.
Nearest Tube: Whitechapel or Hackney Central |
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Marc's mother Phyllis worked at a friend's fruit stall
here, and young Marc often spent his Sunday mornings helping her.
Nearest Tube: Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus |
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The legendary coffee bar which gave the world such stars
as Tommy Steele, Adam Faith and Marc's early idol Cliff Richard, who Marc
often claimed to have met there. He actually helped his mother on
the market stall nearby and sometimes came to the Home of the Stars to
have a cup of coffee or listen to the jukebox.
Nearest Tube: Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus |
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Marc's second school in Hackney which Marc started in September 1958. He found school boring and uninspiring, unlike his new obsession with Modernist lifestyle. It consumed most of his time, and school was often neglected. "I always had trouble in school... I was an okay pupil in Arts and History, but I wanted to find out about things that you couldn't just look up in books." |
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The Felds moved from Stoke Newington to one of the new
Sun Cottages in Summerstown in 1962. Marc hated the move which deprived
him of his status of "the star of three streets in Hackney" and the company
of his old mates. To compensate, he spent most of his time in Soho enojying
its flourishing club scene.
Nearest Tube: Wimbledon Park |
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Allan Warren, young Marc's friend and manager rented
a flat here, and Marc moved in this apartment in early 1964 to stay for
six or eight months. Allan recalls: "He took over one of the bedrooms,
a huge room, and he'd always sit in the same spot by the fireplace with
his books and guitar... In the daytime, Marc would sit in the drawing room
with the curtains closed and the light on. For him, the night never ended
and the day never started..."
Nearest Tube: Gloucester Road, Earl's Court |
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A basement flat shared by Marc and his next manager,
Mike Pruskin. "They live in a basement flat near Baker Street. They wear
black jerseys and pale corduroy trousers, and they are much more agreeable
than you might think from the way they talk. There is a cat asleep on an
old fur hat on the windowsill; a green telephone and a self-portrait by
Mr. Pruskin," - this is how Maureen Cleeve, a journalist from the Evening
Standard, described the dwelling.
Nearest Tube: Gloucester Road, Earl's Court |
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An all-night 14 Hour Technicolor Dream concert took place
there, and John's Children played there alongside Pink Floyd, The Crazy
World of Arthur Brown, the Deviants and the Soft Machine. John's Children
initially decided to perform with no clothes on, but changed their mind
and tried to make a happening instead. Andy Ellison screamed and threw
feathers everywhere, Chris Townson demolished his drum kit and Marc walked
around with guitar on his head, producing endless feedback.
Nearest Tube: East Finchley |
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Former Electric Garden where Marc hold his disastrous
electric gig after leaving John's Children. Re-named as the Middle Earth,
however, it became the residence venue for Tyrannosaurus Rex, the tolkienesque
duo. Marc said: "And then the Middle Earth opened and they asked
John [Peel] to do something there for nothing, and we went along and just
played. (They never had any mikes down there or anything). And it became
sort of fashionable I suppose, and after a while we were packing it solid
2,000 people and we'd got about 10 quid."
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden |
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Tony Visconti's flat where Tyrannosaurus Rex recorded
demoes for their first album, "My People Were Fair".
Nearest Tube: Gloucester Road, Earl's Court |
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The historic recording studios where Tyrannosaurus Rex
and T.Rex recorded their albums in 1968-1971.
Nearest Tube: St. James Park |
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The office of Lupus Publishing Company, Marc's publishers.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex Fan Club formed in February 1969, was also run from
those premises.
Nearest Tube: Green Park |
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John Peel, a dedicated Tyrannosaurus Rex
ally, arranged quite a few recording sessions for his protegees. Marc and
Steve recorded six Top Gear sessions here in 1967-1969.
Nearest Tube: Warwick Avenue |
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According to Ray Stevenson, in spring 1968, Marc suggested
to Blackhill, his managers of the time, the idea of holding free
gigs in Hyde Park. On 29 June, the same year Roy Harper, Jethro Tull, Pink
Floyd and Tyrannosaurus Rex played their first free Hyde Park gig to the
audience of about 7000 hippies.
Nearest Tube: Hyde Park Corner |
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The first home of Marc and June. The couple first rented
a cold-water attic flat in the spring of 1968 (the rent was L2 8s.6d. then,
and they "had difficulty getting that together"), but later moved down
to the floor below, where Marc made his home "Toadstool" Studios, and Pete
Sanders moved in their former apartment. June Bolan recalled: "It was a
very good time. I was very happy. It was the first time Marc lived away
from home, and he loved the freedom."
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove |
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A flat originally occupied by Pete Sanders who later
shared it with John Peel. This soon became a regular meeting place for
Marc and his friends. Here the Unicorn photographic session took place.
Nearest Tube: Regent's Park |
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Tony Secunda's offices where the Wizard company was born.
In the summer of 1972, after parting with Bolan, Tony teamed up with Steve
Took and offered him the basement of the building to live.
Nearest Tube: Green Park |
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After the split with Secunda, Marc and June made these
premises their temporary office with the help of Chelita Secunda,
Tony's ex-wife and Marc's personal assistant.
Nearest Tube: Holborn |
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| 69 New Bond Street | T. Rex Wax Co. offices. In the end of 1973 Marc took
over the building and sub-let some offices to the Who and Pink Floyd.
By 1977 Marc had to give up the building but liked his office so much that
rented it again - from Pink Floyd!
Nearest Tube: Bond Street |
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Here, at Empire Pool (now Wembley Arena) T. Rex made
their two historic appearances on March 18, 1972 - "The Day The Pop Came
Back". Thanks to Ringo Starr, we can watch these performances now in the
movie Born To Boogie .
Nearest Tube: Wembley Central |
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After a national newspaper published Marc and June's
address, they had to move to another place. This was a more prestigiously
located apartment, but the Bolans' lost their privacy and another link
with the past.
Nearest Tube: Marble Arch |
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Having returned to England in 1975, Marc rented this
three-storey house for Gloria, himself and the baby who was to be born
in September. After the birth of Rolan, however, he decided to move again,
possibly because fans started to disturb the privacy of his family.
Nearest Tube: Fulham Broadway |
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Marc's last home. He bought this big Victorian house
in September 1976. It was conveniently situated not far from his parents'
house in Putney, but, according to Mark Paytress, "the property, with high
ceilings and wooden floors, never really acquired any traditional sense
of domesticity. Marc would often conduct his business lying on his large
bed, surrounded by racks of stage clothes and unpacked boxes, as bemused
workmen continued their renovations around him".
Nearest Tube: Barnes railway station |
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The restaurant which Marc visited on September 15, 1977
together with Gloria and her brother Richard. Jennifer Sharp, the Club's
secretary said that Marc had planned it "as a quiet ending to a nice evening".
About 3.30 Marc and Gloria drove off home.
Nearest Tube: Green Park |
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Just before 5.00 a.m., as Gloria drove Marc home in her
purple mini, the car careered off the road and hit the tree. The tree has
since become the place of pilgrimage for many Bolan fans world-wide.
Nearest Tube: Barnes railway station |
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On September 15, 1997, the Performing Rights Society
unveiled the memorial near the actual place of the car crash. As the wording
on the memorial says, it was donated "in recognition of his outstanding
contribution to British music" to mark the 20th anniversary of Marc Bolan's
death.
Nearest Tube: Barnes railway station |
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On Tuesday 20 September 1977 Marc's funeral was held
at Golders Green Crematorium. Marc's family, friends, associates and fans
came to pay their tributes.14 years later Marc's parents were buried under
the same rosebush. It's quite easy to find - just take the left path and
look for the first white rosebush.
Nearest Tube: Golders Green |
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In 1994 thanks to the efforts of the Bolan Society a
memorial plaque was opened in Golders Green. It reads:"In respectful memory
of Marc Bolan...Musician, Writer and Poet much loved and missed by his
fans and all those whose lives he touched."
Nearest Tube: Golders Green |
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