WELCOME TO TAGTM CIC's MARC BOLAN'S ROCK SHRINE AND THE BOLAN TREE - HISTORY, INFORMATION & ASSOCIATED INFORMATION
Welcome to the History of Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine, for information and a history of one of Britain's Most Important sites, 'Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine', Queen's Ride/Gipsy Lane, Barnes, London, spanning over 44 Years! Please use the links below to read about the History of Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine including 'The Bolan Tree' since 16th September 1977, plus get maps, train time table links, magazine/newspaper scans, and photo galleries of Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine, and links to our Videos on our YouTube Channel We hope you enjoy these extensive set of pages tracking Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine from the moment it became a significant place because Marc Bolan's Spirit 'Crossed Over' at that spot. THIS ENTIRE SECTION IS BEING UPDATED because the original pages were created over 20 years ago so this section links to pages with different 'formats'. This indicates that the page(s) have been updated and the link at the bottom of the page should work and return you to here. For most of the pages this indicates that the page has not been updated yet, so the links haven't been checked and corrected if needed and the internal 'Back to the Main Page' may not work so when you visit one of these pages, please use the 'Back Button'.
Below: Marc's Brother Harry with his son Rolan Bolan
at Marc's Shrine for the unveiling of the Bronze Bust
in September 2002.
Below: Rolan Bolan with sculptor Jean Robillard
Below: Newspaper article with Rolan Bolan posing by
Marc's Bronze Bust which he had just unveiled.
2005: MEMORIAL PLAQUES
Below: 2005 - Memorial Plaques for the
other members of T.Rex who have passed over.
RECOGNISED AS A SITE OF ROCK 'N ROLL IMPORTANCE
Below: Steve (Aerosmith) Tyler visiting Marc's Shrine.
Below: Billy (Generation X) Idol visits Marc's Shrine in 2011
Below: Holly Johnson visits Marc's Shrine
PAGANS & PILGRIMS
Below: Marc's Shrine features as a serious subject in
Episode 4: "Shrines" of the six-part BBC Series
"Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places"
Below: Marc's Shrine in 2010
FANS VISIT MARC'S SHRINE
Below: A fan (one of thousands) kisses Marc's Bronze
OFFICIAL MARC BOLAN ROSE
ROCK SHRINES ENTRY
HOW TO FIND MARC BOLAN'S ROCK SHRINE
CLICK HERE FOR A DEDICATED PAGE WITH LINKS FOR YOU TO FIND MARC'S SHRINE Lots of information so you can find Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine. On-Site Maps and instructions on how to find Marc's Shrine. Plus links to off-site Resources including Maps, 'What3Words', Trainline, London Transport & other useful things. The London Transport links allow you to check not only Train & Tube times, but also disruption due to planned work & due to accidents, flooding & all the other things which happen! We've also included a link to check the '10 day weather forecast' so you can pick the best day to visit :-)
THE HISTORY OF MARC BOLAN'S ROCK SHRINE This also includes information on the effect of Marc Bolan's death had upon those who loved him.
1977
The Newspapers Scan of one Newspaper Headline as the world woke on the morning of the 16th September 1977 to the realisation that Rolan Bolan had lost his proud father, Sid and Phyllis Feld had lost their son, Harry his little brother and fans had lost their 'London Boy'. The only one not to know this was Marc's partner and mother to his son, Gloria Jones who was unconscious in hospital. If you have good quality large images of Newspapers from the 16th September, 1977 and the subsequent days please Email them to us at TAG@Marc-Bolan.net
Marc Bolan - 1977 A Pictoral Review This Gallery of Newspaper & related Articles & Clippings was provided by Michael_T. It contains an astounding record of Newspaper Articles of Marc's Death, Funeral and Posthumous Articles, plus Marc's Last Will, Death Certificate, Birth Certificate (a different version to that already onsite) together with various photos of the Mini some of which you may well not have seen and the 1978 Record Mirror Polls, Interviews with Marc's Parents & Gloria. This Gallery gives a detailed record of Marc's Death & his impact upon so many lives. WARNING: CONTAINS IMAGES OF THE MINI
A Parents' Grief Interview with Marc Bolan's dad Sid Feld. It is fortunate that Marc's parents as well as his brother Harry would see Rolan again, but not for some time had passed after this was published.
TV VIDEO CLIPS Two Clips - ITV & A Compilation of clips where people including Gloria Jones, B.P. Fallon & others talk about the events leading up to the crash.
Marc's Shrine on the 17th September 1977 This photo was taken by a local on the 17th September 1977. It has been animated to illustrate the section of 'The Bolan Tree' which was damaged by the chain-link fence as the Mini 'rode along' this fence until the Mini stopped at the Tree. It is clear to see, in person that the height of the damage is far higher than a Mini would have done, had the chain-link fence (and it's steel-reinforced concrete posts were not there). The top collage of images shows the comparative heights based two photos Fee Warner took in June 1978, one of which shows her Honda CD175. We have also included a photo of Walter Modin on his visit to Marc Bolan's Shrine in July 1979.
December 1992 - Attack on the Bolan Tree - An annotated scanned article written by The Marc Bolan Liberation Front, about the December 1992 attack on The Bolan Tree along with possible permanent memorials for Marc Bolan at Hackney and Golders Green along with problems associated with getting a permanent memorial within the Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine area.
1999 - PRE-TAG's WORK VIDEO Assessing the state of Marc's Shrine ready to start on the work once TAG had satisfied all the requirements of Network Rail (formally British Rail) and Richmond Borough Council's requirments which included planning permission and obtaining architect-drawn plans for the site. This gives you an idea of why Fee Warner formed TAG.
1999 - December. A Winter Visit to Marc's Shrine, shows the full extent of the soil erosion.
JOHN and SHAN BRAMLEY Q and A. After forming TAG Fee Warner was approached to take over running the Official Marc Bolan Fan Club owned and run by John and Shan Bramley. Because of concerns relating to John and Shan's management of the fan club, a Question and Answers was set up with the questions being collected and asked by Brian (Zac) Martin in December 1999 and the transcript was punblished on an indipendant website not associated with Kevin or Fee Warner, or the OMBFC. or Brian (Zac) Marti . On the 1st January 2000 and each Month from then until and including May 2000. In that time and at her own expense Fee built up the Unique Visitor Numbers to the web site from 300 per month to 3,000 per month. Over the May 2000 Bank Holiday John Bramley sold the fan club with memorobilia for £ 20,000.00. More information and to Listen to the Audio Recordings Simply Click Here
2000 - June to September: THIS PAGE HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED YET It and a number of other pages will be completed and uploaded when the time is appropriate
2002 - April Marc's Shrine, Clean & Tidy. Plus Bronze Bust Planning Permission Application, and resident discussions regarding the positioning of The Bronze Bust ready for its instillation in Septemer 2002.
2005 - Memorial Plaques The Information TAGTMCIC put up to let fans know what we were doing and why. The final update - at the top of the page announces that the plaques are in place!
Japanese Article This is an article which was published in Japan entitled Rock Around The UK & shows The Bolan Tree & Bronze Bust :-)
2007 - THE YEAR 'THE BOLAN TREE' SITE OFFICIALLY BECAME A 'ROCK SHRINE'
2007 - January A visit to Marc's Shrine for a Clean, Tidy and Polish and for Fee to be interviewed about the forthcoming 'England Rocks' Guide to Rock 'n Roll sites of Importance in England. This Gallery also removing the waterlogged, sodden 'Shrek' from the top of The Bolan Tree, which was a hazzard to road users and visitors to The Shrine.
2007 - ENGLAND ROCKS Scans of the London Section of 'England Rocks' These are scans of the Enjoy England (formerly the English Tourist Board)'s Official England Rocks Printed Guide to Rock 'n Roll sites of Importance in England.
2007 -17th February - Steve Tyler Visit On Saturday the 17th February, just after the 'Rock Shrines' publicity, Steve Tyler visited The Tree Site. The photographer's 'Diary' recorded the visit as "February 17: "I was going to go through photos with Steven, except Steven wanted to get out. I thought he meant shopping, he actually meant out of London - he wanted to see the South. So we drove to Barnes so he could see Olympic Studios, then on to the tree where Marc Bolan died - now a shrine."
2007 - MARC BOLAN'S 30th ANNIVERSARY & HIS 60th BIRTHDAY
2007 - 17th March - Photo Gallery and report written by long-time fan Billy.
2007 TAG EVENT: 14th September - MARC'S MYSTICAL ROOTS TOUR On Friday 14th September, 2007 TAG Members Kevin and Fee Warner, along with fans took a coach to Glastonbury for Lunch followed by an exclusive Stonehenge Sunset Ceremony in the centre of the Sacred Stones. John Peel recalled how he and Marc visited both Glastonbury Tor & Stonehenge so we thought it was more than appropriate for TAG to organise this First which featured Paul Fenton & Rob Benson (Mickey Finn's T.Rex), along with the Arch Druid for Stonehenge and the Arch Druidess of Stonehenge too!
2007 - 14th September - London Evening Standard Article On Friday 14th September, 2007 the London Evening Standard ran a piece written by David Smyth their chief rock and pop critic. He writes a column about pop on Fridays. He told TAGTMCIC "This week I was hoping to spend some time at Marc Bolan's tree in Barnes, to write about this focus for fans of the man as we approach the anniversary of his death".
2011 - 11th September 'HEAT' Magazine article: You will notice that TAGTMCIC is listed as the "MARC BOLAN FAN CLUB" which in essence we are, although for Political Correctness TAGTMCIC runs THE MARC BOLAN & T.REX FAN CLUB!
2012 - THE OFFICIAL MARC BOLAN ROSE REGISTERED WORLDWIDE BY TAGTMCIC
Details about the Official Marc Bolan Rose registered world-wide in 2012 for Marc Bolan's 35th Anniversary by TAGTMCIC . £1.00 from the sale of every Rose Bush goes to TAGTMCIC to help care for Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine. A further £1.00 from the sale of each Rose Bush goes to the Marc Bolan School of Music in Sierra Leone. Follow them on Facebook These three external links will open in new tabs/windows.
BUY MARC BOLAN ROSE BUSHES HERE - Available Pot-grown or Bear Rotted . NOT A GOOD GARDENER? - Buy the 'Pot Grown'! If the web site shows that the Rose Bushes are "Not Available" Email ck.jones@jonestherose.co.uk and let them know you want to order one (or more). You will then be notified as soon as they become available :-) This external link will open in a new tab/window.
2014 - 14th February - The Fatal Attack on the 'Bolan Tree' at Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine. What a day to discover this! The Bolan Tree was attacked and hollowed out by a person or persons unknown. TAG has a jolly good idea of why did this and why. Sadly we don't have the evidence. TAG had bought a 'wildlife' camera which was mounted high up in a nearby tree. TAG needed a ladder to install it, but guess what? A person or persons unknown stole it and therefore took away the memory chip in the camera. Over £100 of TAG funds wasted. The 'Bolan Tree' had to be as felled on Health and Safety grounds. Well Done person or persons unknown. We have included two versions of this discovery: Video 1 contains the comments of shocked TAG Founder Fee Warner upon her discovery of this 'vandalism' which successfully murdered the 'Bolan Tree'. Video 2 is edited with the song Whatever Happened to the Teenage Dream' overlaid.
2018 - 13th September Photo Gallery and Video. This is why TAG is now reluctant to announce the date of 'work details' to Marc's Shrine. In 2018 TAG announced that we would be doing our main 'Work Detail' on the 13th September ready for Marc's Anniversary on the 16th September 2018. The very 'pointed message' from the use of this blue glitter acrylic paint is that it might be water-soluable when when, it contains plastics which make it waterproof as it sets. It does take a lot of water to wash it off. There is no water supply at Marc's Shrine making tasks like this more difficult. As you can see from the Video and the Photo Gallery, the blue glitter acrylic paint was still (generally) wet so it was removable ... for a few hours at least. Had TAG been late, or postponed the trip by 24 hours this blue glitter acrylic paint would have set and would have been impossible to remove. Therefore logic dictates that this was a 'message' to TAG which would cause as as much work as possible, and as long as we arrived in time, it would (simply) at several hours to our already busy day!
2021 - 19th July - Covid-19 Restrictions mostly end
Masks still needed on public transport, optional but encouraged inside shops etc.
2021 - 28th July - Before Gallery Another visit to Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine for a 'Quick, Clean, Polish & Tidy' which took three hours
2021 - 28th July - After Gallery Then after working here for three hours it was time to head off to Kensal Green to give Steve Took's Grave his Birthday Clean, Tidy & Polish.
2021 - 18th September Photo Gallery Not at Marc's Shrine -The Half Moon Putney - Tyrannosaurus Jed and the tribute band 'Telegram Sam' perform two days after Marc Bolan's 44th Anniversary.
2021 - 18th September Videos Not at Marc's Shrine -The Half Moon Putney - Tyrannosaurus Jed and the tribute band 'Telegram Sam' perform two days after Marc Bolan's 44th Anniversary.
THE TROUBLE WITH THE LOCATION OF MARC BOLAN'S ROCK SHRINE
- A NEW AND ONGOING PAGE - THE PROBLEM WITH MARC BOLAN'S ROCK SHRINE'S LOCATION - A look at the problems TAG CIC face - especially when felled trees are put across the entrance to Marc's Shrine in Gipsy Lane as they were in March 2022 making it difficult to safely access the site. The Photo Gallery from the 23rd March 2022 and Videos (both below) show how we found the site on the 23rd March 2022. TAG members cleared as much as possible to make it slightly safer, but why we are now frustratingly waiting for things to be done.
2022
2022 - 23rd March 2022 Work Detail Photo Gallery This is how we found the site and later photos show the site after we had cleaned, tidied and polished. Once again we were surprised to find Marc's Shrine, not as we expected it to be! The unprecedented high winds of up to 120 mph had brought down two trees. One of the main trunks of the conifer in the front garden of #10 Gipsy Lane and a large diseased Horse Chestnut tree next to the shrine, opposite #11 Gipsy Lane. The Horse Chestnut tree had been felled due to Health & Safety but both felled trees had been left across the access to Marc's Shrine. We cleared away as much as possible. We have contacted the authorities to find out when this will be removed. We were able to remove quite a large amount of the smaller branches from #10 Gipsy Lane's conifer, but the main trunk of the Horse Chestnut tree was impossible to do anything with!!! We have contacted the authorities to find out when this will be removed.
2022 - 24th March 2022 Buffalo Dragon Visit Marc's Shrine It was a joy to meet the lovely people of Buffalo Dragon Terri Dwyer and Greg Barrow. We are including a few photos of Terri with TAG CIC Founder Fee Warner along with two 'Bolan's Shoes' film 'work in progress' images the latter is a TAG CIC Exclusive.
This indicates that the page(s) have been updated and the link at the bottom of the page should work and return you to here. 
For most of the pages this indicates that the page has not been updated yet, so the links haven't been checked and corrected if needed and the internal 'Back to the Main Page' may not work so when you visit one of these pages, please use the 'Back Button'.
