Living in Westminster: area guide to homes, schools and transport links

Just steps away from Westminster's iconic landmarks there is another side to this central London neighbourhood - with peaceful cathedral precincts, some of London’s finest streets of Queen Anne and Georgian houses, and period terrace homes.
Landmarks at every turn: spectacular views of Parliament, Big Ben's clock tower, Westminster Bridge and the Thames. Image: Rex.
Anthea Masey12 February 2016

London has three locations that have become shorthand for a particular activity. The City stands for finance, Whitehall means government, and Westminster represents politics - with the term “the Westminster Village” used to describe a closed world of politicians, spin doctors and lobbyists.

Westminster is at the very centre of Britain’s political and ceremonial life. Tourists arrive in their droves to see the medieval glories of Westminster Abbey, St Margaret’s Church and the Jewel Tower, along with the high Victorian gothic design of Barry and Pugin’s Houses of Parliament and the building that has come to symbolise the capital more than any other, Big Ben’s clock tower.

But step away from these landmark World Heritage buildings and the tourist crowds and there is another Westminster to discover, the historic Westminster of peaceful cathedral precincts, some of London’s finest streets of Queen Anne and Georgian houses, and period terrace homes.

Estate agent Kirsty Sugden who specialises in selling Westminster period houses at Hathaways, says that although the district is known the world over as the centre of British political life, it is also becoming a much more popular place to live and much more convivial, too.

“There are more places to go in the evening and although even a few years ago it was not on people’s radar as a place to live, it is now attracting wealthy international buyers who might have previously only looked at Mayfair.

“The transformation of Victoria from a staid setting for Civil Service office blocks and some dreary shops, to a vibrant area of new apartment blocks and regeneration along Victoria Street is of huge benefit to Westminster.”

What there is to buy in Westminster
Westminster has some outstanding early Georgian houses in Queen Anne’s Gate in the Birdcage Walk conservation area. The best have fine wooden decorative door surrounds and canopies and bow windows at the back overlooking St James’s Park. Most of these houses were used as offices but in recent years the local council has allowed many to be converted back into homes.

There are smaller Georgian houses nearby in streets such as Buckingham Place and, closer to Westminster Abbey, in Cowley Street and Barton Street. The very best houses now command prices of up to £2,000 a square foot, with smaller houses starting at about £1,400 a square foot.


There are spacious Edwardian mansion flats in the streets around Westminster Cathedral, and where government offices are becoming redundant they are being replaced with new homes. The period mansion flats sell for between £1,000 and £1,500 a square foot and new-build flats for around £1,600 a square foot.
 

Queen Anne's Gate: among London's finest examples of early Georgian houses

The American philanthropist George Peabody, who founded the Peabody Trust in 1862 to provide charitable housing in London, built some of his first pioneering tenement-style flats in the area around Great Peter Street. Meanwhile, architectural students interested in the work of Sir Edwin Lutyens study his Page Street flats - known locally as the chequerboard flats because of the exterior pattern of white stucco and grey brick squares - from an architect better known for his grand country houses than social housing.

Millbank Estate behind the Tate Britain gallery was popular with “right to buy” tenants, with the result that the majority of the flats are now owner-occupied.

Renting in Westminster
Rental yields are low, ranging from 2.7 per cent to four per cent, so most landlords invest with capital growth uppermost in mind. Westminster was once popular with politicians as a place to live as well as to work, but since the expenses scandal there are strict limits on what can be claimed in mortgage and rental costs, which has forced many MPs out of the area.

However, it is still possible to rent reasonably.

Travel: Westminster is served by countless buses and three Tube stations — Westminster, St James’s Park and Victoria — all in Zone 1. All three stations are on the District and Circle lines. Westminster is also on the Jubilee line and Victoria is also on the Victoria line. Victoria mainline station is a busy train terminus serving southbound commuters as far as the coast. An annual travelcard in Zone 1 costs £1,256.

The area attracts: hedge fund managers, entrepreneurs and top business people are drawn to Westminster as a place to live, and the residential market is becoming increasingly international. Hathaways’ Kirsty Sugden says she recently dealt with some Dutch buyers who fell in love with Queen Anne’s Gate because it reminded them of Amsterdam.

Staying power: Westminster is a settled area and many families have lived there for generations. This is especially the case in the mansion flats around the cathedral. Maunsel Street is a pretty road of small Georgian houses that runs off Vincent Square. The owners of one property there, on the market for the first time in 40 years, are asking £1,997,000.

Postcodes: Westminster is in SW1. The SW1A postcode, which includes Buckingham Palace — postcode SW1A 1AA — must be one of the most desirable in the world, while SW1E covers Buckingham Gate and Victoria, SW1P stretches from the Houses of Parliament to parts of Pimlico, and SW1H is east of Buckingham Gate.
 
Best roads: Queen Anne’s Gate, Smith Square, Barton Street and Cowley Street.

Up-and-coming areas: Westminster’s council estates offer the best value. The Arts & Crafts blocks on the Millbank Estate have become desirable places to live. For example a two-bedroom flat in need of modernisation in Erasmus Street is on the market for £785,000. Cheaper homes on the Page Street estate include a one-bedroom flat for sale at £430,000.
 

Council: Westminster is Conservative-controlled and Band D council tax stands at £676.74.

Pictures by Graham Hussey​

Lifestyle

Mill Bank, with Victoria Tower Gardens, next to the Houses of Parliment

Shops and restaurants: there is a House of Fraser department store in Victoria Street - local residents still call it the Army & Navy, although that name was dropped nine years ago. Cardinal Place shopping centre opened 10 years ago close to Victoria mainline rail station. It has branches of M&S, Molton Brown, Topshop and Zara, and chain restaurants Wagamama and Zizzi.

A recent innovation is the Thursday food market. Popular restaurants include the Cinnamon Club, an Indian eatery in the fine setting of the former Westminster public library in Great Smith Street, and two Italian restaurants - Quirinale in Great Peter Street and Osteria Dell’Angolo in Marsham Street.

Victoria Tower Gardens

Open space: St James’s Park is the local park. The oldest of the capital’s eight Royal Parks, it is famous for its picturesque lake and islands and collection of waterfowl and pelicans. The first pelicans arrived there in the mid-17th century and were a gift from the Russian ambassador.

Leisure and the arts
Westminster is within walking distance of the theatres and cinemas of the West End and the Southbank, but recently it has acquired more attractions of its own. A Curzon cinema has opened in  Victoria Street and two years ago a new theatre, the St James Theatre, opened in Palace Street. With a 312-seat auditorium and a 100-seat studio, it is the first new theatre complex built in central London for more than 30 years.

There are classical music concerts at St John’s Smith Square, the church nicknamed “Queen Anne’s footstool” because of its four towers. The recently renovated Tate Britain, with its famous collection of Turner paintings, is on Millbank. The nearest council-owned swimming pool is at the Queen Mother Sports Centre in Vauxhall Bridge Road.

Four things about Westminster
Why did Dame Judi Dench “talk dirty” in St James’s Park?
In the 2005 film Mrs Henderson Presents, set during the Second World War, Dame Judi plays Laura Henderson, who founded the Windmill Theatre. The film shows Henderson in the park with the Lord Chamberlain, played by Christopher Guest, trying to persuade him to let her famous nude revue continue at the theatre.

Where could a falconer ride with impunity?
Birdcage Walk, overlooking St James’s Park, is named after James I’s aviary, which was located there. Until 1828 the Grand Falconer of England (the Duke of St Albans) and the royal family were the only people allowed to ride down the road.

Which island has disappeared from the map?
Most of Westminster’s place names have historic connections, but one, Thorney Island, has vanished from the map, except for a small street behind Millbank. Thorney was a gravel island sitting in a marshy delta formed by the Tyburn river as it flowed into the Thames. The island was eventually built on, and is now the site of Westminster Abbey.

How did a community of French wool merchants leave their mark on Westminster?
French wool merchants settled in Westminster in the 14th century and the street where they lived was given the name Petty France. It was the home of the Passport Office for 50 years until 2002.

What the locals say on Twitter

@DanielCobbLDN Best coffee in #westminster is definitely Ravello! Best cafe for a good breakfast is the Regency Cafe!
 
@DanielCobbLDN 
best curry by far is the Cinnamon Club! We also love the Firecracker (which is just below our office) for Karaoke!
 
@HathawaysSW1 
best restaurant #westminster is @Osteria_Angolo. Tapster wine bar is a hidden drinking spot, Cafe at @StJohnsSmithSq is great
 
@HathawaysSW1 
St James's Theatre and bar/restaurant,drinks on the terrace at St Ermins, fave greenery is Victoria Tower Gardens
 
@PimlicoHomes 
Curzon Cinema newly opened on Victoria St offers a unique mix of film, cultural events & Q&As
 
@PimlicoHomes 
@LandSecurities transformation of #Westminster will make it one of the most sought after areas in Central London #exciting
 
@PimlicoHomes 
Strutton Ground Market - Mon to Fri 8am-3pm where a range of delicious street food can be found
 

Schools

Westminster School in Little Dean's Yard

Private
Westminster School (boys, ages 13 to 18, with girls in the sixth form) is a boarding and day school based in Little Dean’s Yard in the abbey precinct. Its prep school, Westminster Under School (boys, ages seven to 13) is in Vincent Square. The school has an impressive exam record with a high proportion of its students going to Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Westminster Abbey Choir School (boys, ages eight to 13) in Deans Yard educates 30 choristers who are all boarders. Westminster Cathedral Choir School (boys, ages seven to 13) in Ambrosden Avenue is more of a traditional prep school which also happens to educate 30 boarding choristers.

Primary
Millbank Academy in Erasmus Street, the best local state primary school, is judged “outstanding” by the government’s education watchdog Ofsted.

Comprehensive
There are three local state secondary schools. Judged “outstanding” are Grey Coat Hospital (girls, ages 11 to 18) in Greycoat Place, and Pimlico Academy (co-ed, ages 11 to 18) in Lupus Street, which is sponsored by junior education minister Lord Nash’s charity, Future. The third is Westminster City School (boys, ages 11 to 18) in Palace Street, judged to be “good”.

Pictures by Graham Hussey

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