Today would mark David Bowie’s 71st Birthday if he were still alive so we had a look back at his time in South London

Bowie died on January 10, 2016, after a long battle with cancer but his musical influence is still going strong.

Originally born in Brixton he then moved to Bromley and spent a lot of time around here so to celebrate his birthday here are some local facts for you.

He attended Burnt Ash Junior School in Bromley and Bromley Technical High School in Keston - which later changed its name to Ravens Wood School - among others in the borough, before going on to perform at many of its nightspots in his early career.

Chislehurst Caves - Did you know that David Bowie performed in the Chislehurst Caves with his first band ‘The Konrads’? The Rolling Stones and Status Quo also performed here.

Bowie played at the Three Tuns, which is now Zizzi on Beckenham High Street, with fellow artists and musicians. They formed the Beckenham Arts Lab in 1969, a movement which culminated in a free festival. There is now a plaque outside Zizzi to commemorate him.

Back in a 2008, Bowie told the Mail on Sunday he came up with his 1971 single Life on Mars on a bus trip from Beckenham to Lewisham to buy shoes.

Just after releasing ‘Space Oddity’ Bowie played a free festival at the Croydon Road Recreation Ground in Beckenham.

See our map of where Bowie lived and performed in south London here.