Whiteley's Shopping Centre, London (8 images)

A selection of images from inside Whiteley's Shopping Centre, Bayswater, London. Whiteley's was originally based in Westbourne Grove, opening in 1863 and was London's first department store.

The current building was designed by John Belcher and John James Joass, and was opened by the Lord Mayor of London in 1911. It was the height of luxury at the time, including both a theatre and a golf-course on the roof.

The department store closed down in 1981 and the building...
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A selection of images from inside Whiteley's Shopping Centre, Bayswater, London. Whiteley's was originally based in Westbourne Grove, opening in 1863 and was London's first department store.

The current building was designed by John Belcher and John James Joass, and was opened by the Lord Mayor of London in 1911. It was the height of luxury at the time, including both a theatre and a golf-course on the roof.

The department store closed down in 1981 and the building was purchased by a firm called the Whiteleys Partnership, later acquired by the Standard Life Assurance Company. Extensive reconstruction followed; the facade and some interior features such as stairs and railings remain, but essentially the building was demolished and rebuilt.

It reopened as a shopping centre in 1989.
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