EEL PIE ISLAND - Where Rolling Stones - The Who - Eric Clapton - David Bowie Cut Their Teeth

Eel Pie Island in the Thames is only accessible on one lowly footbridge from Twickenham near Richmond in London.

This map shows the closest subway stop to Eel Pie Island. The subway line ends in Richmond.

Here you see Rolling Stones - Brian Jones - Bill Wyman - Mick Jagger - Keith Richards on stage at the Eel Pie Hotel. They played there once a week thru 1963. It was mainly a rhythm and blue club.

This footbridge was the only access to Eel Pie Island. Named in honor of all the eels in the Thames River.

The Eel Pie Hotel mysteriously burned down in 1971 - but all the cool legends remain. The Beatles came here -met The Stones - and wrote them "I Want To Be Your Man." It became their second hit - and helped rocket them to stardom.

Back in 1963 - when kids in Tamaqua were going to Lakewood to see the Beach Boys or Lakeside to dance to the Jordan Brothers - kids in London were flocking to Eel Pie Island in the Thames River to enjoy The Rolling Stones - The Who - Eric Clapton - David Bowie play in a dilapidated old wooden hotel. The hotel is gone now - but the island remains - along with its little wooden footbridge - sort of a gatekeeper to the past. It has become a shrine of sorts - and rich baby boomers have covered it with cottages - trying to capture their youth.

Fellow Coal Cracker Cindy Miller lives near here and she turned us on to the story. You can look up "Eel Pie Island Hotel" on google and find lots of good stories and a few pictures.