David Bowie's childhood home to open to the public

Ahead of the 10th anniversary of David Bowie's death, the Heritage of London Trust has announced that his childhood home will be opened to the public.

The South London house at 4 Plaistown Grove, Bromley, in which the singer lived between 1955 and 1968 will become a museum and a living space that will host creative and skills workshops inspired by Bowie's Beckenham branch of the Arts Lab movement.

These seminars will be run by the trust's Proud Places scheme, which has involved over 10,000 young Londoners in local heritage programs.

"It's not just aimed at being a memorial to David's extraordinary creativity," said Geoffrey Marsh, who co-curated the V&A's David Bowie exhibition and who will oversee the restoration of the house.

"The music business can be particularly baffling if you're a teenager, so part of the project is to work with young people and show them the drivers that helped David succeed, and which can hopefully help them succeed," explained Marsh. "It's a platform for the future."

Bowie's childhood home is said to include never-before-seen archival items such as his copies of the Observer's books on music and architecture.

Another object, which was shown in the V&A's, is a photograph of the singer's hero, singer-songwriter and pianist, Little Richard.

Bowie had cut Little Richard's picture and stuck it on his wall when he was aged 10 or 11. It then followed the artist throughout his life, but will be put back where it originally belonged.

Before opening, the house will undergo a renovation, in which Marsh, the Heritage London Trust, and conservation architect Julian Harrap will restore the house to how it looked around 1963, when Bowie was 16.

Prior to the renovation, a public consultation will have to take place on the proposed changes. Marsh is hoping that there will be strong local support.

"They've already got one famous house there: [that of] Charles Darwin," Marsh said. "I think David's will be a good contrast."

Some of the planned changes include: the restoration of Bowie's eldest brother's room, as after he was kicked out, the wall dividing the two bedrooms was taken down; the demolition of the 1970's extension; and the removal of a bathroom, which did not exist in 1960.

Funding of the project began with a £500,000 grant from the Jones Day Foundation, with a public fundraising campaign beginning this month.