Living in Pimlico

Pimlico was laid out in the mid-nineteenth century by the builder Thomas Cubitt as a regular grid of cream stucco terraces, and it still looks remarkably uniform: long, straight streets, white porticoes, black railings and garden squares. It sits between Victoria station and the Thames, and its layout keeps through traffic mostly on the edges, which makes it one of the quietest parts of central London.

Behind the stucco the housing is more varied than it looks. Most of the terraced houses are divided into flats, many of them small; Dolphin Square, a huge 1930s block of flats with its own gardens and pool, is a Pimlico institution; and Churchill Gardens, a post-war council estate by the river, was one of the most admired social housing schemes of its time. A significant share of homes are second residences or short lets for people working in Westminster, and parts of the area can feel empty in August.

Everyday life is quietly convenient. Tachbrook Street has a small market, Warwick Way has shops and cafés, and Tate Britain sits on the riverside at Millbank. The Thames Path runs along the southern edge, and the walk across Vauxhall Bridge or along to Westminster is easy.

Pimlico station on the Victoria line is the area's only tube stop, and it is quick: Victoria in one stop, Oxford Circus in a few more. Victoria mainline and coach stations are a short walk for trains to Gatwick and the south coast. The area suits civil servants, parliamentary staff and professionals who want to walk to work, and people who want calm streets in Zone 1. It is not the place for nightlife, big supermarkets or a strong sense of local buzz.