Pimlico area in London

[sayge]

DD and her boyfriend are about to move to London after going to uni in Scotland.

They're wanting to save for a deposit but also live centrally and live the 'London lifestyle'. They think Pimlico might suit because it's central, 30 mins to work, has that 'Naice London' feeling to it and they've found a lovely high ceiling Georgian flat which is high on their bucket list after living in Edinburgh.

What's Pimlico like? Before we moved to live in Hong Kong we lived in London in the 90s, then Pimlico was posh! But it seems rents are a lot more reasonable than neighbouring Chelsea etc

Good heavens op

Shes hoping to buy in Pimlico?! Have you checked out selling prices atm?! 😂

And they’re just leaving uni and they hope to buy in Pimlico? Have either of them been to pimlico much at all? Or indeed know anything about the London housing market?

or are you going to say that they earn £2mil between them?

Pimlico is lovely and perfect for that age group btw

No no, they won't want to buy in Pimlico. They know they'll have to move further out to buy. But they are looking to rent for a few years first, and Pimlico is the area they are focussing their search on so far. They know they probably won't be able to afford to live so centrally again

My sister lives in Pimlico. It is a very nice area, thnk gardened squares, white stucco victorian housing and red brick mansions blocks, it has great transport links, lots of bars, shopping and restaurants in and around Victoria and generally a very central place to live.

My sister is also pretty much married to a millionaire.

For a couple of recent grads wanting the London lifestyle they are better of heading to the 'youngish' areas of Clapham, Putney, Fulham, Balham etc and even those places are fucking expensive these days.

and this beautiful flat is in central Pimlico and in their budget?

are they’re 21?

both secured London jobs straight out of uni?

I worked round Pimlico for years in my 20s. I found it very dull. Nightlife was hours away on a night bus!

Zoopla tells us that a single room to rent starts at £1350

1 bed flats between £1600 - 3000.

Isn’t Pimlico a bit…staid? Yes, it’s central and walkable but it wouldn’t be my first pick of places to live as a 20-something - and I live in London.

20 years ago 😂

Not anymore.

Pretty much all that area is dominated by 20s. And you can’t swing a cat for a bar, restarting, Club, cafe

You’d be way better off living Clapham/ Balham. A lot more going on than Pimlico. There’s not a lot going on there.

Its not exactly hopping. A few nice boozers but if you are young and can afford to pay that kind of rent you might as well head down the Kings Road, Hoxton or Bermondsey where its a bit more yoof orientated.

Watching with interest! Only because I grew up in Pimlico! It was quite and handy place to go out from in different directions IYSWIM. Kings Rd 39 mins walk one way, Oxford Circus on the 137, Trafalgar Square on the 24....

There is the massive council estate by the river, and in towards the home office. Pimlico is very segregated, rich and poor. Very little middle ground. I'd not say there is any night life there really. It is central so things are walkable or tube and buses

Thank you for the responses! I think they're happy to hop on the tube to get to nightlife rather than live in the middle of it. No, they're not both 21, they have both just finished their PhDs so more mid 20s

You're only a 10 mins walk from Victoria which has a lot more going on these days with all the bars and restaurants in Nova

Isn’t that the Peabody housing? Behind Tate Britain? I’ve got a friend who lives there. It’s not council, though. Unless you mean somewhere else.

I meant Churchill gardens, and then in my head lumped the Peabody estate with the tower and blocks off regency road. There's a lot of drunks hanging around strutton ground these days too. I commute through there and it's not a great feeling.

DH rents an apartment in Dolphin Square from time to time (just recently left after 9 months), so I've spent quite a few weeks up recently and pre-Covid. The area is VERY convenient in terms of transport links and there are plenty of garden squares (and St James & Battersea Park are walkable).

Churchill Gardens is substantially fine these days. Battersea Power station and its bars/restaurants/cinemas/Nike Sports thingy are a 15 minute walk away across the river. Camberwell/Oval/Vauxhall are a 15 minute bus ride away for cheaper ethnic dining (and some decent gastropubs).

I felt perfectly safe walking home from the bus or tube at 11:30 (but I am an invisible middle-aged women). Taxis don't cost the earth from the West End as traffic dies away beyond Trafalgar Sq.

There are a few rich overseas students in the area, and a heavy ex-pat community. Otherwise it is pretty middle aged, middle class away from the social housing (where you will find pockets of students).

I would have thought it is a bit dull for youngsters, but I would be overjoyed if my DD eventually chose to live there.

Pimlico is mixed in terms of housing- some lovely period buildings on garden squares, some council (although perfectly nice), and modern private blocks as well. The area round Victoria station isn't great IMO.

It is quite staid as others have said and always feels to me lacking in a proper centre but it's so close to everything else that that doesn't really matter.

I wouldn’t want to live there, it always seems boring. And no way they’ll be able to save any money living there. I’d look down the northern line (Balham, tooting, Clapham) for areas which have their own community but also quick to get to central

Hi!

My dd and her boyfriend made a similar move during covid. The area does have a community feel if you get stuck in and help out at the food bank, or if you live on a garden square then you can join their picnics etc. There are some lovely delis, restaurants, a few good shops, florists. It feels a lot more like a village than anything else.

Pimlico is a lovely area. I think it suits some and doesn’t suit others. Dd grew up in the country so didn’t want to move to somewhere super busy, but she also wanted to be close to the city centre. Equally, if someone grew up in a high rise block in East London then it might not suit!

Rent prices have gone up a lot since covid, but that’s the same everywhere. They have friends renting in Brixton paying the same amount of rent for a similar spec flat. So you can be lucky or unlucky where ever you rent.

From the sound of things, your dc sound like my daughter & partner. Young, middle class, and looking for a pretty neighbourhood that is close to things. Hope they get the flat!

Thank you for the varied responses. Yes, it is within budget, and will represent around 20% of their take home earnings.