On what would have been his 79th birthday, Heritage of London Trust have announced the landmark acquisition of the family home of David Bowie – or David Robert Jones as was – the modest south London terrace where the boy became the legend.
4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley served as Bowie’s creative sanctuary from age the age of eight to 20 (1955–1967). Marking the site of where Bowie’s musical journey began, it was here that he wrote his formative songs and regularly returned in the following years.
Due for completion in late 2027, the heritage project will restore the “two up, two down” railway workers’ cottage to its original early 1960s appearance. Working with curator Geoffrey Marsh (co-curator of the Victoria and Albert museum’s David Bowie Is exhibition) and using a never-before-seen archive, the restoration will recreate the interior layout exactly as it was when Bowie’s father commuted to work at charity Dr Barnado’s and his mother worked as a waitress. This experience will centre on Bowie’s tiny bedroom – where it all began.
The project will be a living continuation of Bowie’s legacy of “free creative experimentation.”, inspired by his 1969 Beckenham Arts Lab and hosting creative and skills workshops for young people. Through the Heritage of London Trust’s Proud Places and Proud Prospects programmes, the house will act as a “solid foundation for the next generation,” teaching confidence and communication skills in the arts. Funding of the restoration has been secured by the Jones Day Foundation with a £500,000 grant, further supported by a public fundraising campaign launching this month.
The house is near the Edwardian ‘Bowie bandstand’, where he performed as a youth in 1969, which was recently restored by Bromley Council and Heritage of London Trust last year.
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.’”
Dr Nicola Stacey, Director of 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, artist, musician and David Bowie’s lifelong friend, 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.”
Caitlin Moran, journalist, broadcaster and author said: “The most exciting place for any fan to visit is their hero’s teenage bedroom – because that’s the cocoon where they built themselves. All the world-changing started there. The chance for us all to walk through a newly-opened door, and see the suburban launch-pad from which David Bowie almost literally took off into space is beyond thrilling.”
Greg Harris, President of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum said: “David Bowie is one of the most significant artists of all time and 2026 is the 30th anniversary of his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, music’s highest honor. Thank you to the Heritage of London Trust and the Jones Day Foundation for supporting the restoration of his childhood home in London – once completed it will provide context for the genesis of Bowie’s creativity and vision and inspire new generations to follow their dreams.”
Chris Kelly, President of the Jones Day Foundation said: “For the last five years, the Jones Day Foundation has been thrilled to support Heritage of London Trust’s Proud Places program, which has involved over 10,000 young Londoners in their local heritage and inspired in them pride in their history and surroundings. The Bowie House project is special because it combines music and heritage in London and will help to preserve the legacy of one of the legends of rock and roll. The Foundation has also been a supporter of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for decades now. We are looking forward to exploring ways we can assist these two wonderful organisations to work in partnership together.”
Fundraising for the project will begin in January 2026 and the project is planned to open at the end of 2027.
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