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When it was revealed that Taylor Swift’s new music video was filmed in Croydon’s Whitgift Centre, we were braced for the inevitable Croydon-bashing (seriously, have these people even been to Croydon??). And while there was inevitably some of that, it was drowned out media over the weekend by a wave of nostalgia for the Whitgift’s heydays on social media — lovely to see.
As @eastcrodyoncool said, “It’s so easy (and unimaginative) to trash talk Croydon — we love seeing locals help change the narrative of the area by speaking positively about it (and defending our underdog town in the comment sections!) ☺️”
Here are a few of our favourite social media posts on the topic:
The nostalgia
Aaaaww, it’s giving “A beautiful, beautiful time lapse, ferris wheels, kisses and lilacs” (Swifties know…)
OMG WE’RE AS EXCITED AS YOU ARE.
And the follow up:
The fact-checkers
News outlets all over the world described the Whitgift as a “derelict” or “abandoned” shopping mall, but any self-respecting Croydonian knows that’s not the case, and Londoners were quick to correct anyone who said otherwise — and fill them in on the Westfield debacle:
Not abandoned, just mostly cleared out to prepare for a Westfield shopping centre, and then it’s struggled to fill itself back up after that fell through
— Garth (@ThatGarthGuy) February 6, 2026
That’s not abandoned, that’s the Whitgift Centre in Croydon which is still trading. The large department store at the far end with the pale blue sign which is boarded up was called Allders, hence the location is “Allders Square”.
— Tim Keeping (@TimKeeping) February 7, 2026
This is the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, it’s not abandoned, it’s just looked half deserted for almost a decade after about 13 yrs of false promises of it being redeveloped and modernised. Work to improve the centre only began last year. A lot of shows have been filmed there.
— Carl 🦩 (@deadeditors_) February 7, 2026
Americans finding out about the Whitgift Centre through Taylor Swift and assuming it’s an abandoned shopping centre is quite funny and sad considering how ALIVE it used to look and feel throughout the 2000s.
It was meant to be refurbished over a decade ago and it never happened. https://t.co/6YspJCHpgS
— Carl 🦩 (@deadeditors_) February 7, 2026
The best of the rest
A selection of other posts which made us chuckle:
they dont even SELL pretzels in the Whitgift centre!!!!
— Rowlet🦉King👑Gibbo (@echogibbo) February 7, 2026
No, but anyone who opens a pretzel stall there now — like, this week — would be a business genius!
(to which we quote Queen Taylor herself: “Babes don’t threaten me with a good time”).
BURN 🔥
We’re assuming that’s Bromley’s Glades, in which case… BR1 music video next, Taylor? Father Figure video filmed in Menkind? Or just a sourdough masterclass at Bread Ahead? Whatever is it, we’re here for it.
And finally…
Well, there’s always one, isn’t there?
Oh, and in case you’ve been living under a (pet) rock all weekend, here’s the video in all its glory:
