Abbey Road Zebra CrossingShared with the Beatles trail — this crossing is so iconic it belongs on both. Every year hundreds of thousands of music fans recreate the 1969 album cover. The studio behind it has recorded everyone from Pink Floyd and Kate Bush to Radiohead, Adele and Ed Sheeran. The white wall of fan graffiti is repainted every few years.
Handel Hendrix HouseOne of London's strangest and most brilliant museums: two musical neighbours separated by 200 years. Handel lived at no.25 from 1723 until his death in 1759; Jimi Hendrix lived next door at no.23 in 1968–69. Both flats are restored to period condition. Hendrix's flat shows him away from the stage — writing, rehearsing, living. Entry fee. Wed–Sun only.
Heddon Street — Ziggy StardustOn 30 January 1972, David Bowie stood at the back entrance of 23 Heddon Street in a quilted jumpsuit for a photo shoot. The result was the cover of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. A black plaque commemorates the spot. The street hasn't changed much — you can recreate the exact shot from the same angle.
David Bowie Mural — BrixtonThe most visited music memorial in London: a large mural of Bowie as Aladdin Sane opposite Brixton tube station, where he was born in 1947. After his death in January 2016, fans left flowers and candles here for weeks. The mural has been repainted and updated several times. Walk up to Electric Avenue nearby — one of London's most famous streets.
Amy Winehouse Statue — CamdenA life-size bronze statue of Amy in her signature beehive and ballet flats stands in the Stables Market in Camden — the neighbourhood she called home. Camden was Amy's world: she drank at the Hawley Arms, recorded at Metropolis Studios, and is buried in Edgwarebury Cemetery north of the city. The statue captures her perfectly.
Freddie Mercury's Home — Logan PlaceGarden Lodge, the townhouse at 1 Logan Place in Kensington, was Freddie Mercury's London home from 1980 until his death in 1991. He died here on 24 November 1991. The garden wall outside is covered in fan tributes. There's no blue plaque — the residents removed it — but Queen fans make the pilgrimage regardless. A quiet, tree-lined street that feels like another world.
Denmark Street — Tin Pan AlleyThis short street off Charing Cross Road was Britain's music publishing capital from the 1910s to the 1980s. The Rolling Stones recorded their first album here; the Sex Pistols squatted in a flat above a studio; David Bowie, Elton John and the Kinks all wrote songs here. Guitar shops still line the street — it's London's last surviving music street.
Carnaby Street — Swinging SixtiesThe spiritual home of 1960s London, Carnaby Street was where Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, the Small Faces and the Rolling Stones came to buy their clothes. The street that defined mod fashion and the counterculture. Still a pedestrian shopping street today, with a mural of former regulars at the entrance.
The 100 Club — Oxford StreetLondon's most storied small music venue, open since 1942. The Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Buzzcocks played the 100 Club Punk Festival here in September 1976 — the moment UK punk went public. Also hosted the Rolling Stones, Oasis, Blur and countless others. Entry fee for gigs; free to admire the facade on Oxford Street.
The Roundhouse — CamdenA former Victorian railway engine shed that became one of the most important music venues in the world. Pink Floyd, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Clash all played here. Still a working venue today — you can attend a gig in the same circular room. Even from outside, the building is extraordinary.
Berwick Street — Oasis Morning GloryIn 1995, photographer Michael Spencer Jones cleared this Soho street of traffic at 7am and photographed sleeve designer Brian Cannon and DJ Sean Rowley walking past each other — creating the cover of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, one of the best-selling albums in UK history. The record shops that lined the street are mostly gone, but the street looks almost identical. No.34 is the spot.
Battersea Power Station — Pink Floyd AnimalsRoger Waters lived near Clapham Common and drove past this decommissioned power station regularly. He chose it for the cover of Animals (1977) and commissioned a 9-metre inflatable pig — 'Algie' — to float between the chimneys. On the first shoot day, Algie broke free and drifted into Heathrow's flight path, grounding planes. Now a shopping centre, but the four chimneys are unmistakable from the Thames.
34 Montagu Square — Hendrix, Lennon & MoreShared with the Beatles trail, but central to the rock stars story too. Ringo Starr owned this flat in the mid-60s; Jimi Hendrix lived here briefly in 1967; John and Yoko used it to record and were arrested here in 1968. Three legends, one address. A blue plaque acknowledges Lennon and Ono.