Borough of Westminster

You’ll spot scenes of Westminster on most London postcards, and it’s little wonder. After all, this place hosts riverside icons like the House of Lords, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Not to mention the black taxis and scarlet phone boxes synonymous with England’s capital. Some of the country’s best-preserved Georgian mansions can be found in its neighbourhoods, too, sitting pretty in the quiet, leafy streets of Maida Vale and Belgravia. Also, let’s not forget the glittering lights of the West End, the best place to catch dinner and a show. Read on to read reviews from residents living in some of the best places to live in Westminster.

4.60
Average Location Score

Excellent

66%

Very Good

24%

Average

9%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in Borough of Westminster

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

Expand Map
Westminster birds eye view

Westminster’s famous landmarks

Despite its modest eight or so square miles, this slice of Central London positively packs in the tourist attractions. Walking tours run all year round, charting thousands of years of history to the delight of millions of visitors. Favourite stop-offs include the Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Cathedral and the Florence Nightingale Museum.

Art fans from all over flock to the Tate Britain on Westminster’s Millbank. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of British art, and residents of Berkeley’s Abell & Cleland development can count it as a neighbour. These stunning apartments were designed by award-winning architecture and interiors studio, Project Orange, and are tucked among landscaped grounds close-by.

There is also, Buckingham Palace, Britain’s most famous landmark of all needs little introduction. Those in-the-know avoid the awestruck crowds in its immediate vicinity, and admire it in the peace and quiet of neighbouring St James’ Park – a glorious 23 hectares of meadows and walkways.

Westminster residents

Naturally, living near the Queen is a privilege that doesn’t come cheap. With home prices here falling largely into the multimillion pound bracket, residents tend to be politicians, celebrities and those born into fortunes.

Just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace is Westminster Quarter, a collection of luxury apartments by Taylor Wimpey Central London spread over three different sites on Monck Street. There are 90 design-led units here, housed across three properties – 73 Great Peter Street, 1 Chadwick Street and Ashley House.

 

“While some new developments strive to stand out both in height and appearance, the eight-storey Westminster Quarter quietly slots into its prestigious SW1 neighbourhood – a chic and classy addition to the streetscape. And on closer inspection its intricate brickwork façade, which looked to local architecture as its inspiration, adds further depth and interest to the building.” – HomeViews Property Pro

St James Park

Development in Victoria

The central Victoria neighbourhood is undergoing extensive regeneration. Once a cluster of tired office blocks, developers have breathed new life into the area with a shedload of contemporary apartments. A plethora of new bars, restaurants and stores have followed suit.

Right opposite Victoria Station, The Nova Building is turning heads. This Land Securities scheme features an ultra-modern exterior, complete with a pink angular front. Rated as one of the best places to live in Westminster, scroll down to read reviews from residents who rent in Westminster.

 

“It offers up a wealth of luxury shopping and fine dining, including the likes of Aster by DandD London to Rail House Cafe by Adam White. Residents will also enjoy first-class amenities like a 24-hour concierge service, a private residents’ lounge, gym facilities, a cinema and a business centre. There’s also secure underground parking available for a fee of £85,000. Topping everything off, figuratively and literally, is the ninth floor roof garden and terrace, which affords residents views over the palace’s gardens and the capital’s cityscape. ” – HomeViews Property Pro on The Nova Building

 

Kings Gate is an alternative – another Westminster base by Land Securities. This one’s got a prime spot on Victoria Street, and overlooks the Royal Parks and Westminster Cathedral. Its 100 private apartments have been designed by Patrick Lynch, Millier and Spinocchia Freund.

ving in some of the best places to live in Westminster. Alternatively, do you own or rent in Westminster? Click here to leave your review. 

Big Ben behind flowers

High-end living

Westminster’s local amenities tend to cater to the wealthy occupants. Expect top schools, members-only clubs, fine dining – including a reputable clutch of Michelin-starred restaurants – and designer boutiques. Bond Street, in particular, offers some of the biggest names in fashion. Chanel, Cartier and Dolce all have flagship stores here. Westminster is also the place to dip in and out of London’s finest establishments, like Harrods, Sotheby’s and The Ritz.

Soho & Covent Garden

It’s not all grandeur and glamour, though. Edgy Soho offers a great mix of laid-back bars, restaurants and live music venues, while Covent Garden is alive with quirky street performers and bohemian market stalls. For high street names like Zara and Topshop, there’s no beating Oxford Street. As well as this, traditional selections such olde-world shops and pubs are to be found in St James’s.

Read more about living in Westminster. Click on the developments below for reviews from residents li

Featured developments in Borough of Westminster

West End Quay, W2

West End Quay, W2

WestCity, Rialto Properties Ltd
4.26 (16 reviews) 4.26 (16 reviews)
Paddington Exchange, W2

Paddington Exchange, W2

Taylor Wimpey Central London
4.61 (8 reviews) 4.61 (8 reviews)

Reviews in Borough of Westminster

Write a Review

Overall Good

Review Date Sep 2024

Very close to my university and overall downtown area so it’s a great location to be in. Close to the metro stop as well as bus stops and main areas of London

Please review your development:

I found there was a lot of wasted space in the furnishing and many of the facilities were faulty upon moving in. The building gym and facilities are great and so are the squash courts. the furniture is new and nice however u find better ones could have been chosen to optimize the small living spaces

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

how some of the facilities i requested weren’t available and the rest were faulty

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

great very helpful Answered quick and helped resolve the issues

5
Facilities
3
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Manager Response

Hi Diana,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about our newly restored apartments at Dolphin Square! We are delighted to hear your feedback in relation to our Facilities, Location, and Customer Service.

At Dolphin Square, we strive to make all our residents feel at ease, listened to, and to create a comfortable environment that improves their quality of life. We take pride in our location, which is just a short walk from Pimlico Tube Station and other local amenities. We hope you continue to enjoy all that the location has to offer.

We appreciate your thoughts on what you would have liked to have known before moving in. We understand that some facilities are currently unavailable, but please rest assured that we are working diligently to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We have already been in contact with you regarding the outstanding arrangement of appliances, and we are confident that the installation of a dishwasher will improve your services and facilities at home.

We are pleased to hear your positive feedback about our Fitness Club Facilities. We have put in a lot of effort to make necessary and enhanced improvements. We will be sharing more information in the upcoming months about the reopening of our communal spaces in Rodney House, and we are confident that this will greatly enhance your living experience.

We also appreciate your recognition of the prompt responses from our team. Our on-site team is dedicated to providing excellent service to our residents, and we are glad to see that their efforts have been recognized.

Lastly, we would like to express our gratitude for recommending us as your landlord. We are thrilled by your feedback and hope that you continue to enjoy making Dolphin Square your home.

Thank you once again for your feedback.

The design and overall finish of the apartments and general building is brilliant

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Aug 2024

It’s a perfect location for transport and access to other parts of London and the UK. Lots of shops close by and good variability. We’ve had issues with some antisocial behaviour but not for a few weeks but very limited noise during weekends and outside of working hours.

Please review your development:

The design and overall finish of the apartments and general building is brilliant. We couldn’t wait to come back after our holiday! The only downside is the lack of access to the garden from Duncan house and the lack of lighting outside the front of the building.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

That there isn’t any direct access to the garden, you have to go either under ground through the car park or round the top main road. There’s also no lighting outside the building at nighttime. The rubbish is very easily accessible but no food bins yet.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes, they’ve been very quick to respond via email and phone.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Manager Response

Hi Maddie,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about our newly restored apartments at Dolphin Square!

We are delighted to hear of your appreciation towards the design of the building, particularly the finishes to the apartments.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on what you would have liked to have known before moving in. We understand that the temporary unavailability of garden access while our restoration work is ongoing may have caused some inconvenience. We very much hope that in the upcoming months, we will be able reinstate garden access via the rear doors of Duncan. Our gardens are a signature to the Dolphin Square Estate and are working tirelessly to restore this space.

In relation to the anti-social behaviour affecting Dolphin Square and the surrounding area, we are taking steps to address these issues. This includes increased patrols, enhanced security measures and ongoing collaboration with local authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community. We have taken the step of installing additional CCTV across the estate, which we hope will act as a deterrent to individuals loitering in the area. Should you encounter any individual across the estate, we kindly request that you contact our security team and inform the local authorities of this.

We have been in communication with our Block Management team regarding the lighting, and they will be looking into the possibility of providing additional lighting in the area. Our team are also in discussions Westminster Council to explore the possibility of providing food waste disposal here at Dolphin Square. We hope this is a waste strategy that can become available to enhance on ways we can encourage our residents to support the environment.

Thank you for highlighting the prompt responses from our team. Our team on-site strive towards the service for our Residents and glad to see this recognised.

Last but not least, thank you for recommending us as your landlord, we are thrilled with this feedback and hope you continue to enjoy making Dolphin Square your home!

Overall happy with the flat

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Jul 2024

There are a lot of bars and restaurants. It is also near the tube and a great neighborhood overall. It is easy to take out garbage and everything has been great. My dog loves the park nearby.

Please review your development:

The flat and design is great, with a good floor and lots of usable garbage. However, it came without a fridge/freezer, dishwasher, and microwave/oven as in the floor plan and as agreed. This hasn’t been remedied yet which is disappointing. I am also looking forward to when we have our direct garden access restored, especially as I have a dog.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I would have liked to see the flat itself and not just a floor plan, so I could’ve flagged the missing appliances earlier.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

They have responded quickly but the actual remedies have been slow.

3
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Manager Response

Hi Stella,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about our newly restored apartments at Dolphin Square!

We are delighted to hear that you appreciate the design of the apartment, particularly the consideration put into the flooring and our waste disposal strategy.

We appreciate your comments on what you wish you had known before moving in, particularly in relation to the selection of appliances available in your apartment. We are currently arranging the necessary improvements to be made, which will include a fridge/freezer and dishwasher. We are optimistic that this can all be organised within 4-6 weeks, and will improve the overall facilities within your apartment.

Thank you for highlighting the prompt responses from our team, however we are sorry to hear that you feel the remedials have been slow. I have provided feedback internally and will ensure a member of the team keeps you updated with the timeframe of your appliance upgrades.

Last but not least, thank you for recommending us as your landlord, we are thrilled with this feedback and hope you continue to enjoy making Dolphin Square your home!

A well designed home in a good location

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Jun 2024

Local area is good, close to convenient stores and shops, close to tube station. Would be better if there were a big supermarket close by

Please review your development:

Design is good, enjoy the floors and carpet of the bedroom, the blinds being quite light is good as when they are closed the living room still has a lot of natural light, whereas in the bedroom there is a dark blind so unaffected by sun in morning, only thing I would improve is more storage space

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known that there isn’t a lot of storage space

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Not as satisfying as I hoped, quick responses but lack of knowledge when answering queries

4
Facilities
3
Design
4
Location
3
Value
3
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Manager Response

Hi Harry,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about our newly restored apartments at Dolphin Square!

We are delighted to hear that you appreciate the design of the apartment, particularly the consideration put into the blinds chosen which allow plenty of natural light. Location is also something we are proud of, being a short walk to Pimlico Tube Station and other local amenities, so we hope you continue to enjoy all that the location has to offer.

We appreciate your comments on what you wish you had known before moving in, specifically in relation to the storage within your apartment. We have optimised storage space where possible during the restoration of the building so apartments benefit from varying levels of storage, some more than others. However, we will certainly take this feedback into consideration as we continue with the restoration of our other buildings.

Thank you for highlighting the prompt responses from our team, however we are sorry to hear that you feel there is a lack of knowledge from the team with regards to the additional amenity packages. We are currently making some changes to our available packages which may be the reason for this. Nonetheless, we understand the importance of ensuring information is readily available and accurate so we will address this internally.

Last but not least, thank you for recommending us as your landlord, we are thrilled with this feedback and hope you continue to enjoy making Dolphin Square your home!