Mick Jagger Childhood Home — Dartford, Kent

Michael Philip Jagger was born on 26 July 1943 and grew up in Dartford, a town in northwest Kent about 17 miles from central London. His family home was at 39 Dartford Road — a comfortable semi-detached house in a respectable suburban area. Jagger's background was distinctly middle-class: his father Basil was a PE teacher and his family were not especially musical. He attended Dartford Grammar School, which is where he reconnected with Keith Richards in 1961 on a railway platform in Dartford — a chance encounter that would change the course of popular music.

The Dartford railway station platform meeting between Jagger and Richards is one of the most celebrated chance encounters in rock history. Jagger was carrying a collection of American blues and R&B records — albums by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters — that he had mail-ordered from America, and Richards recognised them immediately. The two had known each other slightly as children but had attended different secondary schools. Their reconnection led to rehearsals, to Brian Jones, and eventually to the Rolling Stones. Dartford therefore has a strong claim to being the origin point of one of the most successful and durable rock groups in history.

A blue plaque marks Jagger's birthplace — a maternity home rather than the family home — and various Dartford heritage initiatives have documented the town's connection to both Jagger and Richards. The railway station where the fateful meeting took place has a commemorative marker. Dartford is easily accessible from London by rail and is a pilgrimage destination for Rolling Stones fans interested in the band's origins.