At Pimlico’s heart is a highly disciplined grid of residential streets- known as the Pimlico Grid. This was designed by the architect Thomas Cubitt in the 1820’s and is now protected as the Pimlico Conservation Area. Pimlico is considered a hidden Gem of central London, with stereotypically lower housing prices than its southern neighbours in Belgravia.  Pimlico is known for its garden squares and Regency architecture, it is demarcated to the north by Victoria Station and bounded by the River Thames to the South, Vauxhall Bridge Road to the East and the former Grosvenor Canal to the West. Additions which you must know about include the pre-World War II Dolphin Square, the Churchill Gardens and the Lillington and Longmoore Gardens estate, now conservation areas in their own right. Pimlico residents included Winston Churchill, Laura Ashley, Bill Hughes, Laurence Oliver and many MP’s.

We begin with the Early History:
In the nineteenth century, as a result of an increase and demand for property in the previously unfashionable West End of London, following the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. Pimlico became ripe for development. In 1825, Thomas Cubit was contracted by Lord Grosvenor to develop Pimlico. The largest and most opulent houses were built along St George’s Drive and Belgrave Road, the two principal streets, and Eccleston, Warwick and St George’s Squares. Lupus Street contained similarly grand houses, as well as shops. An 1877 newspaper article described Pimlico as "genteel, sacred to professional men… not rich enough to luxuriate in Belgravia proper, but rich enough to live in private houses." Its inhabitants were "more lively than in Kensington… and yet a cut above Chelsea, which is only commercial. Pimlico is predominantly dominated by the well-to-do middle and upper classes as late Booth’s 1889 Map of London Poverty, parts of Pimlico are said to have declined significantly by the 1890’s. However, today demographics suggest that the mean age group is 30-44 years old. Whereas, previous suggestions in the1800’s suggest that average age groups were 45-60 years. 

The Proximity to the Houses of Parliament made Pimlico a fundamental hub spot of political activity. Prior to 1926, the Labour Party and the Trades Union congress shared offices on Eccleston Square. It was here in 1926 that the general strike were organized. In the mid 1930’s, Pimlico saw a second wave of development with the construction of Dolphin Square. Today, this is famous for being the first self-contained “city” as it was called. Made up of 1250 up-market flats. This has been extremely popular with MP’s, Comedians; Ben Lyon and Bud Flanagan, Journalists, Princess Royal Anne and many more.  Pimlico just about survived the war with its essential character remaining intact, although parts sustained significant bomb damage. This is still noticeable today on Denbigh street, with the change of housing architecture.  Throughout the 1950’s these areas were the focus of a large-scale redevelopment as the Churchill Gardens and Lillington and Longmoore Garden estates, and many of the larger Victorian houses were converted to hotels and other uses.

1953 saw the Second Duke of Westminster selling the part of the Grosvenor estate on which Pimlico is built. From here in 1970, Roger Byron-Collins, a partner at Mullet Booker Estate Agents in Albion Street on the Hyde Park Estate was instrumental in the sale and purchase of the Pimlico Estate covering 27 acres in Victoria, including 480 homes for the owners of CR development. Pimlico was connected to the London Underground in 1972 as a late addition to the Victoria line. Following the designation of a conservation area in 1968 (extended in 1973 and again in 1990), the area has seen extensive regeneration. Successive waves of development has given Pimlico an interesting social mix, combining exclusive restaurants and residences with Westminster City Council-run facilities.