When William Whiteley set up shop in Westbourne Grove in the late 19th century, the street was nicknamed Bankruptcy Avenue for its rate of failed businesses. Today, beneath the polished facade of this former Queensway department store, runs a new parade of shops, a coffee house, gym and cinema, along with eight floors of residences and a hotel. More than a century on, the changing fortunes of Bayswater’s commercial enterprises continue to define the character of its streets.

Patrick Campbell, senior partner and head of studio at Foster + Partners, remembers the team’s initial conversation with Marcus Meijer, CEO of MARK, which acquired The Whiteley in 2013: “We have bought a shopping precinct. Would you be interested in taking part in the competition?” The two had met a few years earlier through the Yacht Club de Monaco, a liner-like structure of nautical white terraces around an exclusive club and a sailing school, which Meijer admired. At the time, Campbell lived just around the corner from The Whiteley and knew the building well.

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