Taylor Swift’s ‘secret shooting’ has sparked a stampede at a Croydon shopping centre

Groups of Taylor Swift fans are making the pilgrimage to a run-down shopping center in south London after her latest video was filmed there in a ‘top secret shoot’.

The star-studded video for Opalite, destined for the top of the charts, was filmed at the Whitgift in Croydon, once a thriving, state-of-the-art shopping center but now its glory days are over.

But Swift and her film crew identified downtown as the perfect backdrop for her ’90s Rom Com-themed video released this weekend that has already been viewed nearly six million times.

The Shake It Off singer even paid for the workers at the 1970s-built mall to take the day off when they shot the video last year.

In one scene, Swift descends the Whitgift escalator with Domhnall Gleeson and enters a storefront where Graham Norton is handing out samples of a fictional Opalite spray, giving the video a slightly surreal yet romantic touch.

Tourists and shoppers have been taking selfies in front of the escalator, which has now become a major attraction.

In the video, Swift comes down the escalator while her on-screen boyfriend Gleeson eats a pretzel. Some fans were spotted Subway recreating the iconic scene.

Swift exits the escalator and enters the store, which is actually a Clarks shoe store.

Clark’s manager Jo says she saw people showing up to take a photo of the escalators after the video was released.

She said: ‘Only our shop was used. It was angry. Obviously it was all secret, so it was a relief when it all came out.

‘We didn’t know who it was then. It all looked crazy.

‘I love Taylor Swift. We were here that day, but I didn’t really see her.

“Our windows have turned into spray bottles. It was great. It seemed like there was some soul and life here.

“I think it was a real boost for Croydon. People have come to take pictures of the escalators.

“It was nice for the town they chose here, but I think it was only chosen because it was empty.”

Charlie Tomkins, a security guard from Croydon’s Business Improvement District, was on patrol in the center on Tuesday.

He told it Subway: ‘It’s really getting a lot of attention, it’s a big problem. They were top secret recordings that no one was allowed to talk about.

‘The security personnel were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Some stores had to close to make way for the filming, so staff stayed home and their wages were paid by Swift’s company.”

The 27-year-old added: ‘There’s been a lot of people taking pictures since they found out, and it’s gone crazy. I’m not a Swift fan, but good for them. They pose for photos by the escalator.”

Tess Donovan, 23, took a photo of the escalator with dozens of others.

She told me Subway: ‘I love Taylor Swift and I’m from the area, so when I saw the chat about the video in the Whitgift I thought ‘no way’ so I had to come and see for myself.

“Because I grew up in the area and to think that Taylor has been in my local mall is insane.”

A store employee told me Subway: ‘There are people from all over the world taking pictures of that escalator. Whitgift has seen better days, but this puts us back on the map.

“Some people have even gone to the extreme of buying pretzels to go up the escalator like Taylor. ‘

The veil of secrecy over the Swift video was so great that even managers at the center did not know who the star was that required such a high level of security.

One told Subway: ‘I had no idea at all. I thought it might be Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible – we had no idea.”

Locals reflect on the Whitgift Shopping Center

The Whitgift Center in the center of Croydon was built between 1968 and 1970.

The site measures over 1,200 square meters and was a busy hub in the city centre, but has been hit by a drop in visitor numbers and has struggled to recover from Covid lockdowns.

Some locals praised Swift for putting Croydon ‘on the map’, while others were angry after reading articles describing the shopping center as ‘abandoned’.

However, most agreed that it was an odd choice of location for the international pop star.

Friends Laura Williams and Eve Burgess both remembered the Whitgift Center buzzing with shoppers and had come down to reminisce after seeing it in Swift’s video.

“Croydon used to be the place to be,” says 23-year-old Laura, manager at Costa.

‘We used to come here every weekend. We saw online that it was an ‘abandoned shopping centre’.

‘When we were kids it was always busy, but I think it’s a bit deserted now.

“We haven’t been there in years, so we came to have a look.”

‘I thought [Swift’s video] is made with AI,” added 25-year-old Eve, who works as a nanny. ‘It’s so strange. Why would she come to Croydon?’

Other quirky London locations used in the Opalite video include a dance competition at the Mildmay working men’s club in Newington Green, North London.

How was the Opalite music video made?

In an Instagram post, Taylor shared “that first spark of an idea.” She wrote: ‘It can happen at any time for any reason. The idea for the Opalite music video crash came to my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows, [The Graham Norton Show].’

The singer recalled enjoying the relaxed, diner-like atmosphere of the show, explaining, “For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s a British late night show where Graham Norton (the insanely charismatic and lovable host) invites a random group of actors, entertainers, musicians, etc. to be on his show and we all sit there and chat like it’s a dinner party. They even serve wine.’

She added that she felt “ridiculously lucky” with her fellow guests, including Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lewis Capaldi.

According to Taylor, the concept took shape when Domhnall joked about wanting to appear in one of her music videos.

‘He’s Irish! He was joking! Only at that moment during the interview I immediately had an idea,” she said, revealing that a week later she sent him a script for “Opalite,” starring the actor.

“Much to my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to travel back to the ’90s with us and help with this video,” Taylor added.

‘I had more fun than I ever thought, making new friends, metaphors and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill creating this story and these characters.”

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