David Bowie’s childhood home to open to the public as immersive experience

David Bowie’s childhood home in south-east London is set to open to the public as an immersive cultural experience, offering fans a rare insight into the early life of one of music’s most influential artists. 

The modest terraced house at 4 Plaistow Grove, Bromley, where Bowie lived from the age of eight until 20, has been acquired by the Heritage of London Trust.

The property will be restored to reflect its early 1960s appearance, the period during which Bowie—then known as David Robert Jones—began shaping his creative identity. A previously unseen archive will be used to recreate the home’s original interior layout, highlighting the spaces where Bowie spent much of his time writing, listening to music, and developing his ideas. One of his most famous songs, Space Oddity, was written while he lived in the house.

Geoffrey Marsh, co-curator of the V&A’s David Bowie Is exhibition, described the home as the place where Bowie transformed from an “ordinary suburban schoolboy” into a future global star. Bowie himself once said his bedroom was his entire world, serving as a private creative retreat separate from everyday life.

The restoration project is supported by a £500,000 grant from the Jones Day Foundation, alongside a public fundraising campaign launching this month. Heritage of London Trust director Nicola Stacey said preserving the house is vital to London’s cultural heritage and will help inspire young people through Bowie’s story.

The announcement coincides with what would have been Bowie’s birthday on 8 January and marks nearly a decade since his death in 2016. No official opening date has been confirmed, but the site will host creative workshops and educational programmes. The home is also located near the restored Bowie bandstand, further cementing its place in the artist’s legacy.