The Microhood: Pimlico

Bessborough Gardens in Pimlico (Alamy). Main image, Nina Campbell in Newson’s Yard (Alamy)

What’s it got that we love?
In the classic Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico, this central London district declares itself part of the House of Burgundy. Although fanciful, it picks up on the neighbourhood’s sense of elegant discretion. “Pimlico is extremely central, but also quiet and peaceful,” says Lucy Living of Savills Westminster and Pimlico, who lives in the area. “It’s one of the best locations in London.”

This is helped by housing stock that includes handsome terraces of white stucco townhouses and a location near the Thames’s eternal riverscapes, Tate Britain and the Houses of Parliament – which is why Pimlico has long been a favourite for politicians’ pieds-à-terre.

The area was built on market gardens. One origin story cites an apocryphal brewer called Ben Pimlico, but Pimlico really found its feet in the Regency era, when master builder Thomas Cubitt made it a raffish counterpoint to Chelsea and Belgravia. A sense of sophistication lingers on in its squares and in the intersecting terraces known as the Pimlico Grid. Victoria station offers a passport to the countryside – and, if the Nine Elms Pimlico Bridge is built, residents will be able to saunter to south London. But Pimlico will retain its sense of seclusion.

White stucco terraces at the junction of Grosvenor Road and St George's Square (Alamy)

How’s the shopping?
Pimlico has an intriguing retail history. Pioneering cook Elizabeth David had her first kitchenware shop here and it has long been a hub for interior decorators such as Sybil Colefax & John Fowler, rug specialist Woven Place and lighting experts Jamb. Newson’s Yard on Pimlico Road, once a timber yard, now hosts designers including Nina Campbell and the And Objects emporium. On Moreton Street, Living loves tailors Kipper and Chalk, and you can eat as well as shop at Delizie d’Italia, a deli on Lupus Street. For vintage clothing, pick up unique pieces in Retromania on Upper Tachbrook Street. Pimlico is also an easy stroll away from Battersea Power Station’s new shopping, dining and leisure area, and the King’s Road in Chelsea.

Hang out at…
Pimlico Road and nearby Elizabeth Street host many favourites. Local institutions include two classic pitstops, La Poule au Pot and Grumbles, which was established in the 1960s and “has a huge following for its no-frills English fayre”, says Living. Goya is a tapas restaurant, while on smartened-up Churton Street, you will find Italian restaurant Caccio & Pepe and Daylesford towards Sloane Square. Pub-wise, there is local favourite the Constitution, and close by the Thomas Cubitt, the Marquis of Westminster and the Morpeth Arms – useful after an intense session at Tate Britain.

The Thomas Cubitt is a unique Georgian institution – and an excellent pub (Alamy)

In summer, eat alfresco on St George’s Square or in Pimlico Gardens, with a takeaway from Khallouk & Taylor, enjoying the breeze from the river. Annual local check-ins should include the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the Pimlico Road Summer Party.

Where to buy?
“Pimlico is prime central London, but with favourable prices compared to Belgravia and Chelsea,” says Living. The Georgian and Victorian terraces on the Grid – including Cambridge Street and Sussex Street – are luring buyers from Marylebone and Primrose Hill.

The garden squares – including Warwick Square, St George’s Square and Eccleston Square – are top-end Pimlico. Of huge historical interest is Dolphin Square, a 1930s landmark where the 1,000-plus flats have hosted politicians and royalty: it’s currently being refreshed. New-builds in reasonable proximity include Chelsea Barracks and Ebury SW1.