Lewis Hamilton’s childhood home in Stevenage has been given an historic plaque and an estimated value of over �400,000.

The six-bed, four-bathroom detached house in Woodfield Road was the home of the 26-year-old Formula 1 racing driver between 1997 and 2001 while he was making his name on the British go-karting circuit.

It was while living there, with his Dad’s garage full of karting gear, that McLaren boss Ron Dennis signed the 13-year-old Lewis to the team’s young driver support programme.

Property search website Zoopla, which estimates the property is worth �408,636, has chosen the property for its new purple plaque scheme – marking the former homes of modern celebrities. The company hopes the imitation of English Heritage’s blue plaques will boost interest in the properties if they come up for sale.

Commercial director Nicholas Leeming said: “Our hunger for anything celebrity-related has as much impact on the property market as it does fashion, food or anything else. A property is more than just bricks and mortar and a unique history can improve a home’s marketability.

“Where blue plaques honour names of the past such as Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Edward Elgar and Lord Byron today’s buyers are just, if not more interested in where Sir Elton John, Katie Price and Stephen Fry once lived.”

Do you have a home with a link to a famous person? Let us know at editorial@thecomet.net