Thanks to the Heritage of London Trust and curator Geoffrey Marsh, the home will soon return to its original 1960s look

Fans of David Bowie, rejoice. The childhood residence of the late English singer-songwriter, which served as his home from 1955 to 1967 (ages eight to 20), will soon be restored and open to the public by late 2027.

Located at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, near the Edwardian Bowie bandstand restored in 2024, the modest two-up, two-down house was where Bowie’s musical journey began. It was here where he wrote his formative songs and regularly returned to in the following years, which gave birth to Space Oddity, the 1969 smash hit that rocketed him to fame.

Overseen by the Heritage of London Trust, which will work alongside curator Geoffrey Marsh, the project will restore the home to its original 1960s look. This includes the exact interior layout that will transport you to the time when Bowie’s father commuted to work at Barnado’s and his mother worked as a waitress.

The experience, of course, will be centred around Bowie’s bedroom, the specific site where his “trailblazing spirit” was forged. “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,” said Marsh. “[He once 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.’”

But more than just a brick-and-mortar recreation of history, this will be a living continuation of Bowie’s legacy of “free creative experimentation”. Inspired by his 1969 Beckenham Arts Lab, which offered opportunities to everyone, the home will also be a place of learning, with creative and skills workshops designed for the young.

Featured photo by David Bowie Estate