You'd be forgiven for assuming David Bowie came from outer space, interwar Berlin, some gritty-glam dystopia, or even a creepy labyrinth filled with singing goblin puppets.
But it turns out the actual launching pad for the shape-shifting superstar was a modest two-up two-down cottage in Bromley, South London.
Then known as David Jones, Bowie lived at 4 Plaistow Grove with his parents and older half-brother—when the latter wasn't staying in the psych ward to treat his lifelong mental illness—from 1955 to 1968. For the future rock icon, that spanned the formative ages of 8 and 20.
Fans will soon get the opportunity to see what the house looked like during Bowie's pre-fame teenage years, thanks to a restoration project currently underway.
The Heritage of London Trust, an independent organization dedicated to rescuing historic buildings across the U.K. capital, announced earlier this year the acquisition of the property and a plan to open the recreated interior to the public in 2027.
To restore the house to its 1960s appearance, the project is drawing on an archive of Bowie material as well as the expertise of curator Geoffrey Marsh, one of the people who helped put together the Victoria and Albert Museum's 2013 "David Bowie Is" exhibit that subsequently toured internationally.
According to a press release about the childhood home project, the centerpiece of the experience will be the young Bowie's 9-foot by 10-foot bedroom, where the musician's extraordinary career began with the writing of early songs such as "Space Oddity."
"Bowie's bedroom was tiny," Marsh told the U.K.'s Mojo magazine for its April issue. "It had a bed, a record player, and a pile of records. There was a tape recorder, a Bakelite Grafton saxophone his father bought him, and a photograph of Little Richard he got when he was 10 from Woolworths."
In the rest of the house, restorers will aim to evoke the look and feel of early '60s, lower-middle-class living in suburban London, down to the wallpaper and bulky, two-channel TV.
The site will also host creative and skills workshops for young people interested in the arts.
Major funding for the project is coming from a £500,000 ($670,000) grant from the Jones Day Foundation.
To keep tabs on the restoration's progress or contribute to the Heritage of London Trust's public fundraising effort, go to BowiesHouse.org.
Frommer's London
This is London advice the way a friend would give it to you: fiercely opinionated, funny, and brimming not only with suggestions about what to see and do and what’s not worth your time. Whether you want to see Big Ben or the Harry Potter studios, Trafalgar Square or the V&A, London is a city wit...
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This is London advice the way a friend would give it to you: fiercely opinionated, funny, and brimming not only with suggestions about what to see and do and what’s not worth your time. Whether you want to see Big Ben or the Harry Potter studios, Trafalgar Square or the V&A, London is a city wit...