Rolling Stones London

The Rolling Stones lived and worked in London throughout their still on-going legendary career. Though Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were actually from the London suburb town of Dartford where they famously met-up on it’s station, the Stones performed, wrote and recorded their best work in London. Here are the ten most significant London places to be inhabited by the members of the self-proclaimed greatest rock n roll band in the world

1.

Olympic Studios, 117 Church Road, Barnes, SW13

What Abbey Road is to the Beatles, The Olympic Studios in Barnes is to The Rolling Stones. From 1966 to the present day, the Stones recorded most of their best music here. The classic run of masterwork albums from Beggars Banquet to Exile On Main Street were all recorded or mixed at the Olympic Studios. The building was built in 1906 and was originally an Edwardian dance hall and live entertainment venue. Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Hammersmith

2.

The Crawdaddy Club, 1 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9

It’s now just a pub, but in the early 1960’s it was the site of the Station Hotel that was the home of the legendary Crawdaddy Club. As the sign proudly states above the door, a very young Rolling Stones were the resident house band in 1963 and were paid £22 for their first gig here (Pretty good money for those days). This was also the venue were the Beatles first came and saw The Rolling stones. John Lennon was apparently very taken with Brian Jones harmonica playing. Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Richmond Station

3.	The Marquee Club, 165 Oxford Street, W1
	On this site on July 12th 1962, a six piece Rolling Stones consisting of Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor and Mick Avory, played there first ever gig in front of a mostly indifferent audience. With a set-list written on a page of Ian Stewart’s pocket diary, The Stones were on their way to superstardom.   Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Oxford Circus

4.	7 Broadwick Street, The Bricklayers Arms, Soho, W1
	This was the site of the pub were Brian Jones auditioned the initial members of The Rolling Stones after Brian placed an ad in Jazz News in the Spring of 1962. It was also the place were the band had their first ever rehearsals upstairs.   Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Tottenham Court Road

5.	102 Edith Grove, Chelsea, SW10
	In what must have been the ultimate 1960’s bachelor flat, Brian Jones, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards moved into this small Chelsea flat in the late summer of 1962. The flat was famously squalid with rising damp and peeling wallpaper. Keith’s mother Doris used to arrive once a week to take away mounds of dirty clothes to wash for them. Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Fulham Broadway

6.

33 Mapesbury Road, NW10, Kilburn

After the squalor of Edith Grove, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards moved out into the more sedate surroundings of this North West London flat. They shared the flat with their new manager Andrew Loog Oldham and this was also the flat were Mick Jagger used to court his new girlfriend Chrissie Shrimpton, sister of iconic 1960’s Vogue model Jean. John Lennon and Paul McCartney also used to come around for late night jams. Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Kilburn

7.

90 Wardour Street, Soho, W1

This was the site of the 2nd Marquee Club, where the Stones played a famous televised gig in 1971. Keith Richards was at home in Cheyne walk apparently in a huff with Mick Jagger. Angry and barefoot he eventually drove down to the club in his Bentley which he then proceeded to double park before entering the club, just before the cameras were due to roll. For good measure, after an altercation with the club owner, Keith had to be dragged from the club backwards with his bare feet trailing on the ground after the gig.   Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Tottenham Court Road

8.	1 Courtfield Road, SW7 Kensington
	Brian Jones shared a flat here with Anita Pallenberg in 1967. Keith Richards also stayed here with the couple just before their ill-fated trip to Morocco and Keith and Anita’s subsequent elopement together.     Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Gloucester Road

9.

3 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, SW3

Keith Richards lived here with Anita Pallenberg from August 1969, this former home of Tory government minister Anthony Nutting was where Keith and Anita had their new born son Marlon. The house was just a hundred yards away from another house on Cheyne Walk that was occupied by Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. It was hoped that Keith living so near to Mick would help facilitate their song writing.   Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - South Kensington

10.	Sticky Fingers, 1a Phillimore Gardens, Kensington, SW8
	This is Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers café. It is also full of Rolling Stones memorabilia collected by Bill over his 32 years with the Stones. Photos, gold records and original Stones guitars line the walls. It is practically a Rolling Stones museum and should be visited by every Rolling Stones fan.   Map - Click here Nearest Tube Station - Kensington High Street