The Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon

Croydon

Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises 1302444 sq ft (121,001 m²) of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London

Westfield London

Westfield London is a shopping centre in White City in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The centre was developed by the Westfield Group at a cost of £1.6bn,...

 at White City

White City, London

White City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....

 in October 2008. The Whitgift Centre will be expanded as part of the Croydon Vision 2020

Croydon Vision 2020

Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...

 scheme.

The name comes from John Whitgift

John Whitgift

John Whitgift was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 800 horsemen...

, a former Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

. The centre was built on the site of Whitgift Middle School, renamed Trinity School of John Whitgift

Trinity School of John Whitgift

The Trinity School of John Whitgift, usually referred to as Trinity School, is a British independent boys' day school with a co-educational Sixth Form, located in Shirley Park, Croydon. The current building was constructed in 1965 on the site of the former Shirley Hotel...

 in 1954, which moved to a new site at Shirley Park

Shirley, London

Shirley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 10 miles south south-east of Charing Cross.-Description:...

 in 1965.

As at 01/12/2010, the current owners of the Whitgift shopping centre are in administration. http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/40aa4f48e7ea78ebd12880a2bf6759fd/compdetails

History

The first shop to open was Boots on 17 October 1968 and the centre itself was officially opened in October 1970 by the Duchess of Kent

Duchess of Kent

The Duchess of Kent is the title given to the wife of the Duke of Kent.Five women have held the title:* Jemima , daughter of Thomas Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, first wife of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent...

. In the middle of the Whitgift Centre there was a Roman-themed pub called The Forum. In the 1990s, the centre was almost completely rebuilt to an atrium

Atrium (architecture)

In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...

 design, and the Forum pub was demolished.

Structure

The shopping centre is on three storeys — the upper two are for retail and the basement provides vehicle access to any of the retail units with a 1 km network of service roads.
It adjoins the major Allders

Allders

Allders is an independent department store in Croydon, established by Joshua Allder in 1862. It is the fourth-largest department store in the United Kingdom.The Croydon store was the flagship of a large chain of department stores in the UK...

 store, which has substantial frontage onto the Centre. The office accommodation consists of five tower blocks rising above the shopping centre. The other major shopping centre in Croydon is Centrale across North End, with Park Place

Park Place (Croydon)

Park Place was a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...

 due to begin development shortly.

Ownership

The freehold of the Centre is owned by the Whitgift Foundation

Whitgift Foundation

The Whitgift Foundation is a charity based in Croydon, South London, England, established in 1596 by John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, who lived at Croydon Palace. The purpose of the charity is to provide education for the young and care for the elderly...

, a registered charity in England & Wales.

External links

• Official website
• History Whitgift Croydon
• The Whitgift: Fabulous at 40 (Official 40th anniversary website)
• Companies House - Company in Liquidation