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All the United Kingdom England London Ziggy Stardust Plaque

Ziggy Stardust Plaque

This London plaque marks the spot where David Bowie's famous alien made his debut.

London, England

Added By
Tao Tao Holmes
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Ziggy Stardust Plaque   Jnicho02 on Wikipedia
Ziggy Stardust Plaque   Jnicho02 on Wikipedia
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars   ian burt on Flickr
As of early 2024, Heddon Street is quite Bowie-themed.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The wall with the plaque, now with blue lightning.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
Ziggy Stardust plaque   wnsos / Atlas Obscura User
Walking in the footsteps of the Ziggy.   spadaadjusting / Atlas Obscura User
Photo taken Sep 2022   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Ziggy Stardust Plaque   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
In July 2024   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
It’s abut more posh these days.   tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
Shortly after the second anniversary of Bowie’s death.   tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
May 2022   Helen Rose / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Rock and roll might be an auditory art form, but some images mean just as much to the history of the genre as any song. Such is the iconic image of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust emerging into the night on the cover of his titular album. The moment is so iconic that there is even a plaque on the spot commemorating it. 

On the cover of his 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie emerges as his rock alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. He stares pensively, soulfully back at the camera, elbow resting on a raised knee, guitar strung loosely over his shoulder. Facing photographer Brian Ward, the musician stands in the January shadows of a small side-street in London, off Regent Street. The famous image was captured in black and white and hand-colored by artist Terry Pastor. 

That very spot, at Number 23, Heddon Street, is now marked with a commemorative plaque. A black circle with white type, it states: "Ziggy Stardust 1972," with smaller type stretching along the border that says, "This marks the location of the cover photograph for the iconic David Bowie album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." The plaque was installed on March 28, 2012 and unveiled by Spandau Ballet guitarist and Bowie superfan Gary Kemp. It is unlike blue and green plaques commemorating famous landmarks and people installed by English Heritage or Westminster Council; "Ziggy Stardust 1972" is in fact one of just a small handful of plaques extended to fictional characters (you can find ones for Sherlock Holmes and Lara Croft elsewhere in London).Heddon Street is very different from when Ziggy Stardust first stepped foot there to ring in Bowie's fifth studio album. It now has brighter storefronts, more stores and cafes, and now a new plaque, too.

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Plaques Music

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There are two entrances to Heddon Street from Regent Street. The nearest tube stations are Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. 

The plaque is halfway down the street on a blue-painted section of wall. 

Community Contributors

Added By

taotaoholmes

Edited By

linkogecko, jooniur, EricGrundhauser, tylercole...

  • linkogecko
  • jooniur
  • EricGrundhauser
  • tylercole
  • wnsos
  • rbenn250
  • Gavin
  • Xavixavir
  • spadaadjusting
  • Helen Rose
  • Julius Spada

Published

January 4, 2016

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  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2112047/Here-landed-Starman-Plaque-marks-London-street-David-Bowies-Ziggy-Stardust-touched-down.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Ziggy_Stardust_and_the_Spiders_from_Mars
Ziggy Stardust Plaque
Number 23, Heddon Street
London, England, W1B 4BQ
United Kingdom
51.511144, -0.139881
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