Whiteley’s, a shopping centre of my London youth, was in the sagging heart of dismal Bayswater, that neighbourhood between Notting Hill, be it cool or edgy depending on the era, and Hyde Park, which never strays from upmarket prim. It served a useful purpose in my slothful 20s with some cinemas on the top floor, below which were some adequate eateries, a bunch of mostly empty shops and makeshift stalls selling foul-looking sweets. Its main advantage, I remember, was a car park with a steep ramp that you could burn your car up for maximum terror of the date you...