Northwood Hills Pub

Elton John's First Paying Gigs

Northwood Hills Pub As pictured in the 1975 Captain Fantastic album sleeve. Click to enlarge. Copyright 1975 This Record Co. Ltd. Northwood Hills Pub today Click to enlarge. Copyright 2001 OnThisVerySpot.com. Northwood Hills Tube Station As pictured in the 1975 Captain Fantastic album sleeve. Click to enlarge. Copyright 1975 This Record Co. Ltd.

66 Joel Street
Northwood Hills
London HA6 1LL
England

On This Very Spot in 1965, 15-year-old Reg Dwight (the future Elton John) played his first gigs on weekend nights. Sorry, the piano inside is NOT the one Elton used!

Bonus Spot! Directly across the street from the pub is the Northwood Hills tube station. On this very spot, the young Elton John caught the train to London to attend the Royal Academy of Music. Also on this very spot, a teenaged Elton John and Bernie Taupin caught the train to the their early songwriting jobs in Denmark Street while bunking together at Elton's mum's flat. For this reason, they included a photo of the station in their 1975 autobiographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

Submitted by: Clarence Isling

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Condition: This spot looks essentially the same as it did at the time.

Public Access: This is a commercial business open to the public during regular operating hours.

Amenities: London Heathrow or London Gatwick

Location: Pinner is located in the northwest part of London just south of the Watford area.

Directions: The easiest way to see the Elton John sights in Pinner is to take the Blue Line tube from London to the Northwood Hills station. The Northwood Hills Pub is directly across from the station. To see the other spots, turn right out of the station or left out of the pub and go to the bottom of Joel Street. Continuing straight across will take you up Potter Street, site of Elton's second childhood home, which is on the left at 111 Potter Street. Turning right will take you down Pinner Road, site of Frome Court, Elton's teenage home which is on the left just past the sports fields. To see Elton's first childhood home at 55 Pinner Hill Road, continue up Potter Street and turn right onto Pinner Hill Road, or continue down Pinner Road, turn left on Pinner Green, then left onto Pinner Hill Road.