“The area known as The Grid has many grand white stucco houses designed by Cubitt,” says Winkworth estate agent Sarah Caswell. “Many MPs live here.”The Low-DownTransportPimlico Station has its own Victoria Line station and is one stop from Victoria Station Victoria Coach Station is also nearby. Buses in the heart of Pimlico serve Chelsea, the West End and the City, and many routes are served by the large bus station at Victoria.PricesWinkworth says studio flats cost from £90,000 to £150,000, one-bed flats from £180,000 to £300,000 and two-beds from £250,000 to £500,000. A small house starts at £350,000 to £550,000, and the largest ones cost £1m and up.PropertiesSimilar exteriors may conceal radically different interiors or amenities. A two-bed flat in Eccleston Square is on ground level and has a sunny private patio garden; £360,000 at Foxtons. Chesterton recently sold a three-bed period house in Moreton Terrace with conservatory and roof terrace, and planning permission for an additional storey on the roof which would add 500sq ft; £1.2m. Also on Moreton Terrace, Foxtons sold a three-bed period house with roof terrace and an interior Victorian-style spiral staircase; £685,000.Leasehold housesHouses here are often leasehold.

John D Wood estate agents are selling a period house with three double bedrooms and a 72-year lease on Barnabas Street for £775,000. Chesterton has a freehold four-bed four-storey period terraced house with a small roof terrace on Palace Street that requires refurbishment. Price £675,000.LetsIn the modern Bessborough Gardens development at Lindsay Square, Chesterton is letting a furnished two-bed split-level flat for £800 per week, and an unfurnished four-bed three-bath terrace for £900.TomorrowWestminster Council has given planning consent for a private finance initiative scheme to redevelop the Lupus Street school, with revenues from residential units providing funding for a new school.ShoppingPimlico has a handful of popular eateries, including a Gary Rhodes restaurant in Dolphin Square. A Sainsbury’s is being built in Gillingham Street and there is Tesco, a Monday-Saturday street market on Tachbrook Street, and many speciality bakers and delicatessens, on Warwick Way and Tachbrook Street.ParkingThe south-western border of Mayor Ken Livingstone’s central congestion-charging zone is Vauxhall Bridge Road, which places Pimlico just outside it. A quick car trip in the wrong direction can cost residents a fiver, and Pimlico does run the danger of becoming a haven for car-owning outsiders trying to dodge the fee.

The bulky Transport Strategy report is available on Hizzoner’s own website, www.london.gov.uk and a critique appears on Westminster Council’s site, www.westminster.gov.uk.Estate AgentsChesterton, 020 7834 9998; Douglas & Gordon, 020 7931 8200; Foxtons, 020 7973 2000; John D Wood, 7824 7901; Winkworth, 020 7828 1786.. Vicky and Ian Lynagh’s first meeting with an architect to discuss renovating their derelict, Georgian terrace house in Islington, north London, was rather frustrating. “He wanted to reinstate the traditional small-roomed, poky layout and came up with the sort of suggestions you could have got by looking at the house next door. Why on earth would we have paid for that sort of advice?”

Moneynetmortgagessearch Vicky and Ian Lynagh’s first meeting with an architect to discuss renovating their derelict, Georgian terrace house in Islington, north London, was rather frustrating.

“He wanted to reinstate the traditional small-roomed, poky layout and came up with the sort of suggestions you could have got by looking at the house next door. Why on earth would we have paid for that sort of advice?”
But Vicky’s dentist told her about the award-winning architect Mark Guard’s transformation of his home “Mark’s input was phenomenal,” says Vicky. Inspiration was needed because the two-bedroomed house, which cost them £185,000 in 1997, seemed unprepossessing But the Lynaghs were instantly smitten by its potential. “It had been lived in by a 94-year-old man all his life and it was almost derelict, but we still knew it was right for us.”We’d looked at endless houses, including two in this street which we liked,” says Vicky. “In one, the ‘tasteful decoration’ was absolutely awful, and a survey of the other revealed all sorts of horrors.” She prefers dereliction to “restored” homes. “You know from the outset what you are getting, so the survey will not reveal anything you can’t already see.”Initially, creating a minimalist, contemporary home was not part of their grand scheme But they were convinced by Guard’s ingenious design plan He is renowned for his ability to transform interiors.

Before he started his practice in 1986 he worked with Richard Rogers, Rick Mather and Eva Jiricna.Recently he has been recognised for his transformation of a Paris apartment measuring just eight metres by four, for which the brief was to include a separate bedroom. Guard won a RIBA award for the project and challenges such as this excite him. “I’m always interested in how to convert housing stock, particularly London’s, which tends to have little light, space or ventilation.”We’ve done lots of typical Victorian, London houses and we’ve explored all the ways of transforming them. But we hadn’t done any flat-fronted ‘two-up’ Georgian properties and wanted to see how we could create something special.”The house certainly was a challenge.