← NewsAll
David Bowie's childhood home will be restored and opened to the public.
Summary
Heritage of London Trust announced plans to restore David Bowie's childhood home in Bromley to its early 1960s appearance and open it to visitors in late 2027; a £500,000 grant from the Jones Day Foundation has been secured and a public fundraising campaign will launch.
Content
David Bowie's childhood house in Bromley, south of London, will be restored and opened to the public by late 2027, the Heritage of London Trust announced. The property at 4 Plaistow Grove was Bowie's home from ages 8 to 20 (1955–1967), covering the early years of his musical development. The project will return the two-up, two-down railway workers' cottage to its early 1960s appearance using archival research and curatorial input. The announcement was made on January 8, 2026, which would have been Bowie's 79th birthday.
What is planned:
- The restoration will recreate the interior layout as it was when Bowie's father commuted to work at Dr. Barnado's and his mother worked as a waitress, with an emphasis on Bowie's 9 ft x 10 ft bedroom.
- Curator Geoffrey Marsh, co-curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum's "David Bowie Is" exhibition, is collaborating on the project.
- The site will host creative and skills workshops for young people, inspired by Bowie's Beckenham Arts Lab and linked to the Trust's Proud Places and Proud Prospects programs.
- A major grant of £500,000 from the Jones Day Foundation has been secured to anchor the restoration, and a public fundraising campaign will launch this month.
- The house sits near the Edwardian "Bowie bandstand," which was restored by Bromley Council and the Heritage of London Trust in 2024.
- David Bowie died in 2016 after a battle with cancer; the announcement notes his local ties and the intention to preserve the site for community and heritage reasons.
Summary:
The restoration aims to present the home as it appeared in the early 1960s and to use the site for arts and skills programming for young people. Completion is scheduled for late 2027, and a public fundraising campaign has been announced to support the project.
