Contemplate a time when Whiteleys was more than just a shopping destination. Whiteleys was a world. Today we stand before a building undergoing a grand transformation. It is poised to blend its rich history with a modern vision. Let me tell you the story of Whiteleys.
In 1863 William Whiteley started a drapery shop. It began at 31 Westbourne Grove. By 1867 his business grew. It included 17 departments. Whiteleys started offering dressmaking in 1868. A house agency and refreshment room followed in 1872. By then Whiteleys employed 622 people. 1,000 more worked outside the premises. Whiteleys started selling food in 1875. A building and decorating department was added in 1876. This proved profitable. Many stuccoed houses in the area needed repainting.
Whiteleys faced opposition from smaller tradesmen. Local authorities also challenged its building plans. Several fires in the 1880s might have been caused by opponents. Despite this business prospered. Whiteleys offered a delivery service extending 25 miles. In 1887 the store was described grandly. It was “an immense symposium of the arts and industries of the nation and of the world”.
By 1890 Whiteleys employed over 6,000 staff. Most lived in company dormitories. They obeyed 176 rules. They worked from 7 am to 11 pm six days a week. Whiteleys bought farmlands. It built food-processing factories. These provided produce for the store and staff. In 1896 Queen Victoria granted Whiteleys a Royal Warrant. This was an unprecedented achievement.
The original Whiteleys store faced a devastating fire in 1887. It was one of the largest fires in London’s history. This followed four earlier fires. E. H. Shepard recalled seeing the fire from Highgate Hill. Whiteleys was rebuilt. Later it moved from Westbourne Grove to Queensway.
In 1907 William Whiteley was murdered. Horace George Rayner claimed to be his son. After Whiteley’s death the business moved. It went to a new store on Queens Road now Queensway. The Lord Mayor of London opened the new store in 1911. Thousands attended. It was claimed to be the largest shop in the world. The building was extended between 1925 and 1927. In 1927 Harry Gordon Selfridge bought Whiteleys. He had opened Selfridge’s in 1909.
Whiteleys suffered bomb damage in 1940. This damage and earlier fires led to the loss of archives. In the 1950s Whiteleys converted upper floors to office space. LEO Computers Ltd. and International Computers Limited used these offices. Esso Petroleum also rented space.
United Drapery Stores purchased Whiteleys in 1961. In the late 1970s a survey found Whiteleys lacked enough customers. The department store closed in 1981. It remained empty until 1986. Then the Whiteleys Partnership purchased it. Reconstruction followed. The facade and some interior features remained. Whiteleys reopened as a shopping center in 1989.
Meyer Bergman purchased the center in 2013. In December 2018 Whiteleys closed for redevelopment. The project includes retail units, residences and a hotel.
The new Whiteleys store in 1911 included a theatre and a roof golf course. It appeared in novels and George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. In the late 1920s A. J. Cronin was Whiteleys’ medical officer. Selfridges purchased the business in 1927.
Today the Grade II listed building is being transformed. It will house the UK’s first Six Senses hotel. It will also have private residences and restaurants. The Whiteley is set to blend its historical grandeur with modern luxury. The famous clock and sculptures will once again adorn the facade. Whiteleys is ready to start a new chapter. It builds upon its legacy as a landmark.