The London Roadside Where Rock and Roll Legend Marc Bolan Died Is Marked with a Homegrown Shrine

The Roadside Where Rock and Roll Legend Marc Bolan Died Is Marked with a Homegrown Shrine

The Roadside Where Rock and Roll Legend Marc Bolan Died Is Marked with a Homegrown Shrine

Atlas Obscura
Your Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders
July 7 2015 1:45 PM

The Homegrown T. Rex Memorial

Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world’s hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook and Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter.

Father of the glam-rock trend during the 1970s along with his band T. Rex, Marc Bolan was tragically killed, like so many rock stars, far too young, in a car accident in London in 1977.

Despite his influence on the pop cultural landscape of the 1970s, the site of Bolan's death was never officially recognized with a memorial. However, thanks to the musician's devoted fans, a shrine has been erected that continues to grow to this day.

Advertisement

The tribute to the musician began when lovers of Bolan's music began making pilgrimages to the site where the car in which he was a passenger collided with a tree. Visitors began hanging notes and trinkets from the sycamore tree the car had hit, which eventually spread to a posting board next to it. After years of devotional offerings being placed on the "Bolan Tree," the branches started to give under the weight of the love hanging from its limbs, and the tree began to die.

Since the site was never officially recognized or cared for, no one knew what to do to save the tree, until a group of ultra-devoted fans formed the awesomely named "T. Rex Action Group." TAG, as it came to be known, began caring for the spot and was eventually given ownership of the land in perpetuity. The group continues to look after and improve the site to this day.

Today a stone plaque has been added in addition to a bronze bust of the flamboyant performer. Bolan's musical influence continues to live, and new fans are born every day, assuring that the site of his death will continue to accumulate devotionals for another four decades.    

More wonders to explore:

Eric Grundhauser is a head writer and editor at Atlas Obscura. He lives in Brooklyn with his comic book collection. Follow him on Twitter.