Blue Plaque: Jimi Hendrix

A small blue plaque on a terraced house in Whitley Bay marks where Jimi Hendrix stayed during a brief spell in the North East. It's the sort of thing you walk past without noticing unless you know it's there - which is rather the point of blue plaques, really. Hendrix played the King's Hall in Whitley Bay in 1967, and this was his local digs. The house itself is unremarkable from the street, but that's oddly fitting for a bloke who was anything but unremarkable.

For music history fans with even a passing interest in Hendrix, it's worth the detour when you're staying at Parkdean Resorts Whitley Bay Holiday Park or Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite. You won't need more than five minutes to find it and snap a photo, so don't clear your diary. It works best as part of a wider Whitley Bay wander rather than a destination in itself. Kids will probably find it baffling unless they're already Hendrix enthusiasts, which let's be honest, most ten-year-olds aren't.

The real appeal is the story - that Hendrix, at the absolute height of his powers, spent time in this unassuming seaside town. There's something rather lovely about that. The plaque is free to view (obviously), and you can see it anytime you pass. No admission, no opening hours, no faffing about. Just history, very simply marked.