Kuala Lampur, April 9 -- With its grey front door and battered picket fence, No. 4 Plaistow Grove in the anonymous London suburb of Bromley is unremarkable in every way except for one.

The modest terraced house - originally built as a railway workers' cottage in the late 19th century - is the childhood home of pop phenomenon David Bowie.

An inscription on a small blue plaque to the right of the front door is the only clue to the property's extraordinary past.

"David Bowie Singer and Talented Musician 1955-1968," it reads, a reference to the 13 years that he spent living there.

Bowie, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century who died aged 69 in 2016, spent some of his most formative years here.

Now, the house has been a...