David Bowie's childhood home to have heritage restoration and be opened to the public

The modest south London terrace, which was the former childhood home of David Bowie, is to be restored for the public to visit, after it was acquired by Heritage of London Trust.

The house, which is at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, was David Bowie's home between 1955 and 1967, with the future 'Starman' singer moving there when he was just eight-years-old, and leaving when he was 20.

This house was the location that David started his music career, writing some of his early songs, including 'Space Oddity'.

Heritage of London Trust has revealed that the project to restore the "two up, two down" railway workers’ cottage is due for completion in late 2027, and will see the house being returned to its original early 1960s appearance.

The restoration will be done alongside Geoffrey Marsh, who is the co-curator of the Victoria and Albert museum’s 'David Bowie Is' exhibition, and will see the house's interior layout returned to how it was when the singer's dad worked at the charity Dr Barnardo's and his mum worked as a waitress.

Speaking about house, Geoffrey Marsh said: "It was in this small house, particularly in his tiny bedroom, that Bowie evolved from an ordinary suburban schoolboy to the beginnings of an extraordinary international stardom – as he said ‘I spent so much time in my bedroom. It really was my entire world. I had books up there, my music up there, my record player. Going from my world upstairs out onto the street, I had to pass through this no-man's-land of the living room.’"

George Underwood, artist, musician and David Bowie's lifelong friend, added: "We spent so much time together, listening to and playing music. I’ve heard a lot of people say David’s music saved them or changed their life. It’s amazing that he could do that and even more amazing that it all started here, from such small beginnings, in this house. We were dreamers, and look what he became."

Fundraising for the project has already started and more information can be found on the official website. A substantial grant of £500,000 has already been announced from the Jones Day Foundation, a non-profit group funded by lawyers and staff with the Jones Day law firm.

Take a look through photos of the house and early photos of David Bowie:

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