Passport to Pimlico

Pay a visit to Pimlico in south-west London and enter a real foodies paradise, its iconic standing as a self-sufficient pocket of London, outstandingly portrayed in the Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico, has always seemed unchangeable without a doubt Pimlico is a rarity, a diverse residential area in the heart of central London
The neighbourhood is a very well-located and safe locality, with many long-standing residents who form a village environment, it’s very busy during the day, for the majority with government employees of the close at hand governmental ministries, and now with plentiful tourists visiting, its energetic street life goes on well into the evening with restaurants, cafés, and pubs in profusion close by there is something for everyone who desires a drink or something to eat.

There are plenty of schools in the area and Pimlico has its own brand new academy with the local library built-in, as you enter you get a feeling of such light and space there is a manned reception desk and a really nice refreshments bar and seating area with comfortable seating, when we were there it wasn't open but the person on reception assured us that they served very good coffee and very affordable snacks.

You enter the library proper by stairs or lift and this is very disabled friendly as is the space between the stacks and it is laid out in a very easy to find way.

The children's library when we visited had plenty of children in it and this about 2pm on a Sunday, the computer area was also being well used with plenty of stations available for the public.

We especially liked the way you check in and out your books, cd's and DVD's by scanning them yourself this means that the library staff are always there for enquiries and other problems and as the library as a dual purpose serving both the general public and the pupils at the academy, this freedom for the library staff not always being tied to checking out borrowed items is very crucial.

So with more books, cd's DVD’s and computer space the library is in our eyes a great success and don't forget it also contains the Westminster Adult Education with an exciting new learning facility with 8 high-tech teaching rooms.

Open seven days a week with a term-time homework club, a reading club and regular sessions for under fives as well as activities for children during school holidays it looks to us that this library is going to be a well used service for the people of Pimlico, well done Westminster for having such vision for Pimlico.

Also available to the residents of Pimlico are a few private schools, such as the famous Hill House, and are just a short walk away in Chelsea.

And it is the bars, restaurants and shops of Chelsea that also appeal to Pimlico’s residents just five minutes away is one of London’s most romantic restaurants, Poule au Pot in Ebury Street bringing a hint of France to the area.

The shops of Sloane Square, King’s Road, and Knightsbridge are a walk or short bus ride away and as for shopping we believe it can’t be beaten to purchase supplies and those hard to find items.

On Victoria Street you will find a Sainsbury’s, Army and Navy Stores, Boots the Chemist, Banks, Jayems (Tobacconists), Thomas Exchange Global (Bureaux de Change), The Carphone Warehouse, McDonald's Restaurant, Clarks (Shoe Shops), Curry's Digital and many more high street shops.

Only two minutes from Victoria station, Cardinal Place is open 7 days a week for eating, drinking and shopping, in fact, the ideal place for living and working, there is an Art Gallery, SW1 Gallery, Waggamama, Marks & Spencer, La Tasca, Costa, Hawes and Curtis, Molton Brown, L'Occitane, Thornton's, Nando's, Zizzi. Boots, Hobbs, Specsavers, Goldsmiths, Monsoon, Top Shop, Jones, Zara, and more

You will find large Sainsbury’s “Market at Pimlico” within easy walking and carrying distance (also large car park below the market) on Wilton Road.

On Warwick Way, Tachbrook Street, Lupus Street and Rochester Row there are specialist bakeries, butchers, and delicatessens of several nationalities, including Rippon cheese stores in Upper Tachbrook Street with hundreds of cheeses at the peak of readiness, and many more food shops again just on the other side of Victoria Station in Elizabeth Street and Ebury Street, Belgravia, there is also a farmers market at the top of Ebury Street which compliments Tachbrook Street market very well.

Pimlico Road SW1, which links Pimlico with Chelsea, has been nicknamed the new King’s Road, after its chic shops, antique dealers and lively bars and pubs.

Pimlico is quiet at night, and extremely quiet on Sundays and Bank Holidays there is a regular presence of neighbourhood police on foot patrols (Scotland Yard is just down Victoria Street), and good local services, in our minds our neighbour hood is a great collection of 3 or so villages and a great place to live with quality shops, lively cafés and restaurants, a roof garden with a restaurant and an art gallery in Cardinal Place.

Therefore, in wrapping up we think that Pimlico is one of the best places to live in London.