Croydon’s Whitgift Centre: A Star Reborn in Pop Culture Spotlight

The Whitgift Centre, Croydon’s once-grand shopping mall, officially opened in 1971 to great fanfare, hailed as one of Southern England’s finest retail destinations, even housing the UK’s largest Sainsbury’s. However, its fortunes have since dramatically declined, largely due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding Westfield’s proposed redevelopment, leaving it a “moribund” and “derelict” space.

Despite its beleaguered state, the Whitgift Centre is currently experiencing an unlikely resurgence, transforming into a magnet for high-profile film and music productions. This new lease of life began with its feature in a Derren Brown TV show, followed by a significant role in the acclaimed 2023 queer ghost story, “All Of Us Strangers.” Directed by local Andrew Haigh, the film not only prominently showcased a particular escalator but also affectionately namechecked the 80s-era Whitgift as “the next best thing to Disneyland.”

The mall’s fame reached new heights in February 2024 with the release of Taylor Swift’s music video for “Opalite.” Swift, alongside A-list stars like Domhnall Gleeson, Graham Norton, and Lewis Capaldi, filmed scenes that revived the Whitgift to its “retro finest,” complete with potted palms and blaring neon, again utilizing the now-famous escalator. This unexpected celebrity endorsement has sparked speculation that the centre might become a unique stop on London’s “Swiftie” tour, despite the irony that its escalators are often “too knackered to function” in everyday use.

This influx of attention extends beyond Swift, as Hollywood’s Rebel Wilson also filmed her upcoming movie “Girl Group” at the Whitgift, playfully asserting her claim as the first major star to discover its cinematic potential. This trend aligns with Croydon’s growing reputation as “the UK’s answer to Hollywood,” a town with a filmmaking history dating back to the early 1900s, further bolstered by local talent like BRIT School alumna Olivia Dean winning a Grammy. The Whitgift Centre, once a symbol of decline, is now an unlikely icon benefiting from a vibrant creative spotlight.

(Source: https://londonist.com/london/features/whitgift-centre-escalator-taylor-swift)