A murdered entrepreneur, an iconic London department store, a £1.5 billion makeover, and the quest to create 'the capital’s greatest residential address'

In 1851, a young Yorkshireman named William Whiteley came to London to see the Great Exhibition. Bowled over by what he saw, he resolved to come back as soon as he could. Within the year, he returned, with £10 in his pocket and determined to make his fortune.

This modern Dick Whittington started small, working for a drapery in the City until 1863, when he determined that he'd learned enough — and saved enough — to open his own business. The result was Whiteleys, at 31 Westbourne Grove, where Notting Hill meets Bayswater.

Four years later, he'd expanded his small drapery into a row of 17 shops. Within its first decade, Whiteleys was employing over 1,500 people, building a department store that was one of the largest and grandest in the world.

The shop's name became a byword for shopping in style. P.G. Wodehouse refers to it in several of his stories, and when Professor Henry Higgins seds Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady to go out and buy a new dress, he he instructs her not go to Harrods or Selfridges, but to Whiteleys.

With the ups came downs, not least several fires — the worst of which, in 1887, gutted the original premises

Whiteley bounced back quickly, building the current site: an emporium on Queensway which was said to be the largest in the world. Queen Victoria herself was a fan: the shop was awarded an unsolicited Royal Warrant in 1890, an unprecedented move at the time for the turreted and domed silhouette established itself as a prime landmark, celebrated in the novels of P. G. Wodehouse as well as George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

But tragedy still played a part in the history of the shop. In 1907, William Whiteley was shot dead at the age of 75 by man claiming to be his illegitimate son. The murder took place in Whiteley's own shop.

The shop continued to flourish for half a century in its founders absence, but would end up struggling in the second half of the 20th century. The so-called ‘Harrods of Bayswater’ suffered in the post-war years and closed in 1981.

Despite re-emerging as a shopping centre in 1989, the retail future for the Grade II-listed building looked bleak and it closed for a major redevelopment in 2018.

Following a £1.5 billion makeover by Foster + Partners, the building, now renamed The Whiteley, has been converted into a 139 apartments. And very swish they are too.

To date, 76% of residences have sold, but some prime homes are still available — among them a two-bedroom duplex apartment designed by Maoliosa Murray with Art Deco influences. It's on the market for £8.95 million via Knight Frank and Savills.

There are plenty of other options still for sale, too — not least the five-bedroom penthouse with a terrace from where you can see the shop's iconic dome. It's on the market at £39.5 million.

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On-site amenities include a 20m swimming pool, a gym, a padel court and a Six Senses spa (there are also Six Senses-branded serviced apartments).

It's immensively impressive, and the developers — understandably, given the scale of their investment — are very excited indeed, describing it as 'a complete re-imagining of a historic address of epic scale and proportion, a stone’s throw from Hyde Park,' and adding that it is 'poised to become the capital’s greatest residential and hospitality address.'

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There's also good news for those who love the romantic story of London's original department store: The Whiteley will have shops too, with space for 19 retail tenants installed once work is completed.

See more about The Whiteley London or view the property listings at Savills and Knight Frank.