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a tree that became a shrine

Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine

FreeHidden gem
Barnes · Barnes
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A roadside shrine lovingly tended by fans at the Barnes spot where T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan died in 1977.

Getting there. On Queens Ride in Barnes, a short walk from Barnes station.
Free memorial
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Barnes · Barnes
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The lowdown

On a bend of Queens Ride in Barnes stands a sycamore tree that has become a place of pilgrimage. It was here in September 1977 that the car carrying Marc Bolan, the glam-rock star and frontman of T. Rex, left the road and struck the tree, killing him days before his thirtieth birthday.

Fans began leaving flowers and messages at once, and a dedicated group has cared for the spot ever since, adding a bust of Bolan and a memorial stone. It is free to visit, a touching and well-loved roadside shrine to a star who shaped a whole era of British music, still mourned decades on.

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The insider tip

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Look for the steps up the bank to the memorial bust beside the famous tree, festooned with tributes. Around the anniversary of his death in mid-September the shrine fills with fans, flowers and feather boas.
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