Yes, the rumours are true \u2013 Taylor Swift rented out a random London shopping centre for her latest music video.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pop superstar\u2019s \u2018Opalite\u2019\u00a0<\/em>video, which was released last week, is set in the\u00a0\u201990s and features cameos from Graham Norton, Lewis Capaldi, Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Greta Lee.\u00a0Part of the video sees Taylor and Domhnall Gleeson\u00a0wandering around a colourful, sparkling shopping mall. That shopping mall, ladies and gents, is Croydon\u2019s own Whitgift Centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Not every day Taylor Swift films a video in Croydon\u2019s Whitgift Centre! \u2728 pic.twitter.com\/ALPef2rmJW<\/a><\/p>\n
In the video, the Whitgift Centre is decked out with pastel frontages, green plants and neon signs. But if Taylor Swift fans want to visit the set in person, they\u2019ll be bitterly disappointed. In reality,\u00a0the Whitgift\u00a0is grey and deteriorating with\u00a0around 70 empty units. One recent Google review says it\u2019s \u2018run down with hardly any shops left\u2019 while another calls it an \u2018absolutely dreadful place\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The mall looks so barren in\u00a0real life\u00a0that some Americans looked at photos and assumed it was abandoned. But Londoners were quick to correct them and point out that, while it could do with a heavy dose of TLC, the Whitgift Centre is in fact fully operational.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Taylor hun, could you not have left your decorations up? Made the Whitgift Centre much more pretty and looks like it would actually entice customers\u2026#croydon<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/0Da0xt8Tc4<\/a><\/p>\n
There have been plans to transform the dilapidated centre into a Westfield<\/a> for\u00a0more than a decade, but they still haven\u2019t come to fruition. It was initially due to reopen as\u00a0a new and improved shopping destination in 2017 but the planning application has been pushed back numerous times. Now, it looks as though developers\u00a0Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield won\u2019t submit a planning application until the middle of 2026. That suggests that, if approved, work wouldn\u2019t begin until 2028 at the earliest.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taylor Swift\u2019s video isn\u2019t\u00a0the only starring role that the Whitgift Centre has taken on recently. Rebel Wilson\u00a0was also spotted filming her upcoming movie\u00a0Girl\u00a0Group\u00a0<\/em>there back in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n ICYMI:<\/strong> Check out plans for London\u2019s new \u00a31 billion movie-making neighbourhood.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Plus:\u00a0The legendary 1960s West End building that is being transformed into a vast shopping centre<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke \u2013 from news and reviews to events and trends. Just\u00a0<\/strong>follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Stay in the loop: sign up for our\u00a0<\/strong>free Time Out London newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u2014 Sarah Jones MP (@LabourSJ) February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u2014 Sophie Taylor-Denton (@sophie_denton) February 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n