David Bowie's childhood home in London to open to public next year
The Heritage of London Trust will restore David Bowie's 19th-century childhood cottage in Bromley to its 1960s state and open it to the public in late 2027, offering visitors access to his small bedroom and creative workshops for children.
Overview
The Heritage of London Trust purchased David Bowie’s 19th-century childhood home in Bromley and plans a 1960s restoration for public visits in late 2027.
Visitors will be able to see Bowie’s 9-by-10-foot bedroom, which the trust says was central to his early creativity and development.
The project, backed by Bowie's estate, received a 500,000-pound grant and aims to raise another 1.2 million pounds in donations.
The house will serve as both a heritage exhibit of 1950s–1960s domestic life and a venue for creative workshops for children.
The announcement coincides with the tenth anniversary of Bowie’s death and follows the recent opening of his 90,000-item archive at the V&A’s David Bowie Centre.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this as celebratory heritage news, prioritizing Bowie's cultural significance and the charity's restoration plans. Editorial choices—selective uplifting quotes, descriptive language (e.g., “creative journey,” listing hits), and omission of skeptical or local-opposition perspectives—produce a nostalgic, promotional narrative while source quotes provide praise and detail.
Sources (3)
FAQ
David Bowie’s childhood home is located at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, South London, and the restoration project is scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in late 2027.
The Heritage of London Trust will restore the small railway workers’ cottage to its original early 1960s appearance, recreating the interior layout exactly as it was when Bowie lived there, with a particular focus on his 9-by-10-foot bedroom where he wrote formative songs including “Space Oddity.”
The restoration and curation are being led by the Heritage of London Trust in collaboration with curator Geoffrey Marsh, who co-curated the Victoria and Albert Museum’s “David Bowie Is” exhibition and will use a previously unseen archive to guide the recreation of the interiors.
The project has secured a £500,000 grant from the Jones Day Foundation and is launching a public fundraising campaign to raise an additional amount, bringing the overall project cost close to £1 million.
Once open, the house will function both as a heritage exhibit of 1950s–1960s domestic life centered on Bowie’s early creativity and as a venue for creative and skills workshops for children and young people through the Heritage of London Trust’s Proud Places and Proud Prospects programmes.
History
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