Whiteley's, Bayswater

Image: © Stephen McKay Taken: 18 Sep 2008

Whiteley's is a Bayswater institution, occupying a prominent location on Queensway. It is in fact London's oldest department store, predating the better known Oxford Street establishments, and the opulence of the building (the present store opened in 1911) is an indication of how wealthy an area Bayswater once was. The store declined, however, with the area and was eventually closed in 1981 - to be reopened in 1989 as a shopping centre with a collection of well-known high street names occupying separate shops within its walls. At the time this looked to be the likely fate of many traditional department stores which were beginning to seem old fashioned and fusty, but in the event that did not happen. Nevertheless, Whiteley's appears to thrive in its new incarnation.

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