David Bowie's childhood home is to be opened to the public

The house will be returned to its early 1960s appearance and a never-before-seen archive will recreate the interior layout as it was when Bowie resided there.

Geoffrey Marsh, co-curator of the V+A Museum's David Bowie Is exhibition, explained how the small house in south-east London was where the Starman singer went from "ordinary suburban schoolboy" to "international stardom".

Marsh said: "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 on to the street, I had to pass through this no-man's land of the living room.'"

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."

The Heritage of London Trust added that it wanted the house to continue the Rebel Rebel hitmaker's legacy of "free creative experimentation".

The restored home will be open to the public in late 2027, with the work being backed by a £500,000 grant from the Jones Day Foundation - a non-profit group funded by lawyers and staff at the Jones Day law firm - along with a public fundraising campaign that will launch this month.

Artist and musician George Underwood, a lifelong friend of Bowie's, 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."