The Heritage of London Trust has announced the acquisition and restoration of David Bowie’s childhood home at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, where the young David Jones lived from ages eight to 20 between 1955 and 1967.
It was in this home that Bowie wrote some of his earliest songs and returned often in later years, including during the creation of his breakthrough hit Space Oddity.
The restored house will open to the public in late 2027.
The “two up, two down” railway workers’ cottage will be returned to its early 1960s appearance, with input from curator Geoffrey Marsh and access to a previously unseen archive, to accurately recreate the interior.
Special focus will be given to the bedroom where Bowie spent countless hours imagining, creating, and dreaming.
Mr 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.'”
The project aims to be more than a static tribute.
Instead, it will serve as a hub for creative workshops and skill-building sessions for young people, inspired by Bowie’s 1969 Beckenham Arts Lab.
A £500,000 grant from the Jones Day Foundation has already been secured to support the project, alongside a wider fundraising campaign.
Dr Nicola Stacey, director of the Heritage of London Trust, said: “David Bowie was a proud Londoner.
“Even though his career took him all over the world, he always remembered where he came from and the community that supported him as he grew up.
“It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to tell his story and inspire a new generation of young people and it’s really important for the heritage of London to preserve this site.
“We are thrilled to have already secured a major grant of £500,000 from the Jones Day Foundation towards the project, and hope that people everywhere will want to be involved.”
George Underwood, lifelong friend, artist, and musician, reflected on Bowie’s beginnings.
Mr Underwood said: “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.”
The house is just a short distance from the famous ‘Bowie bandstand,’ where he performed in 1969.
That site was restored by Bromley Council and the Heritage of London Trust in 2024.
Restoration of the house is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, with the site set to become both a tribute to Bowie’s life and a centre for nurturing future talent.
