The Bromley house at 4 Plaistow Grove is where the iconic musician lived from age eight to 20 and began writing the songs that would later define his career. It is now being restored by the Heritage of London Trust with plans to open it to visitors by late 2027.
To mark the occasion, the Trust hosted a special event at Ravens Wood School in Bromley, which Bowie attended during his youth, featuring artist and musician George Underwood, Bowie’s childhood best friend.
George Underwood (Image: Heritage of London Trust)
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Mr Underwood shared personal stories from their school days and early creative experiences, painting a vivid picture of Bowie’s formative years.
Cllr Alwin Puthenpurakal, Nicola Stacey and George Underwood (Image: Heritage of London Trust)
He said: “We spent hours in the toilets at school. We were doing our hair, different hairstyles and things. We were quite vain, you know, thought we were god’s gift.”
He recalled Bowie’s early experimentation with style, describing an incident where Bowie arrived at school with a very short haircut, calling it his “Gerry Mulligan period,” in reference to the jazz musician.
Mr Underwood continued: “Later on, David said to me: ‘Actually, George, I tried cutting my own hair last night and it all went wrong.’
One of the students (Image: Heritage of London Trust)
“So he had to get the local hairdresser down the road to come and trim it, tidy it up for him. It was by mistake.”
He also spoke about Bowie’s early theatrical flair and love of pretending to be other people, often adopting different accents, including American, while chatting up girls.
George Underwood speaking on stage (Image: Heritage of London Trust)
Mr Underwood added: “He wanted to move on. He strived to get better and better at what he was doing and of course, it was songwriting that he eventually found.
“He wasn’t even singing in the early days, he was playing saxophone and stuff.”
The Heritage of London Trust has delivered a series of workshops, assemblies, and creative sessions in schools across Bromley. These include workshops and creative sessions designed to introduce young people to Bowie’s early ambitions and the values that shaped his career—creativity, courage, resilience, and change.
Dr Nicola Stacey, director of the Heritage of London Trust, said: “The school has incredible young talent already and it’s been fabulous to have them all involved in the project from the beginning. We look forward to building on our Proud Places work both with Ravens Wood and with other schools in the coming year.”
The performers (Image: Heritage of London Trust)
Earlier this year, the Trust partnered with Ravens Wood School to launch the inaugural Bowie’s House Youth Curators programme.
Students explored Bowie’s childhood in Bromley and contributed their ideas for how the house could be interpreted for future visitors.
Award-winning songwriter and producer Eg White also led a Bowie-inspired songwriting workshop, giving students a hands-on introduction to the creative process. The restoration of 4 Plaistow Grove is expected to be completed by late 2027, with ongoing fundraising efforts to support the project’s development and public programming.
