This tour departs on foot from Brixton tube station every Sunday afternoon at 2pm and lasts around 2.5 hours including a 15 minute pit stop half way.
It’s led by Nick Stephenson, a personable and talented musician and narrator who leads the group through the streets of Brixton taking in the iconic and historical sites which play their part in the David Bowie story.
Our group numbered around 20 including some seriously knowledgeable fans!
Nick brings his guitar and accompanies the tour with a musical soundtrack of greatest hits.
We started at the Brixton Academy where Bowie performed in 1993 with the Tin Men and then made our way to the great man’s birthplace in January 1947 on Stansfield Street. It was apparently the coldest night for many years when David Jones was born at home to his unmarried parents – quite a scandal in those days. No plaque on the house but a lot of closed blinds – the current residents presumably get a bit fed up of all the fans standing outside.
We then made our way to Bowie’s primary school and learned about the schoolboy fight which caused one of his eyes permanent damage and the change in colour through a dilated pupil.
Next stop was Electric Avenue (of Eddie Grant fame) and the chance to buy Brixton pounds which are legal tender in the borough.
Then on to the iconic Ritzy Cinema where – so legend would have it – Bowie’s parents first met.
Our final stop was at the David Bowie mural which is a fabulous work of art by Jimmy Cochran, with Bowie as Aladdin Sane.
It’s a fascinating tour with an interesting and well-informed narrative by Nick who is way too young to remember Bowie’s early years, but has done his research thoroughly and engages his audience with facts and anecdotes, as well as a very enjoyable musical busker-style performance.
The tour is an easy walk and completely flat. There’s quite a lot of standing involved which is something to bear in mind. It would be suitable for a wheelchair user.
All in all a highly recommended tour, and a fascinating insight into a great man who never forgot his Brixton roots.
“Read more about the David Bowie walking tour “:https://bowietourlondon.co.uk
