{"product_id":"ian-nairn-s-pimlico-walking-tour-saturday-9-may-2026-11am","title":"Ian Nairn’s Pimlico walking tour - Saturday 9 May 2026 11am","description":"\u003cp class=\"sqsrte-large\"\u003eJoin Open City for a walking tour exploring Pimlico, one of central London’s most architecturally enigmatic and often overlooked districts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv title=\"Page 1\" class=\"page\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"block-dc53c15079361280365e\" data-block-type=\"2\" class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block-content\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\" id=\"block-86c407a66e47a9b352ca\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block-content\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003ePimlico, described by acclaimed architecture critic and former resident Ian Nairn as an ‘inner-city village’ in the 1970s, can often feel confusing, indistinct, and uncharted — a shadow sandwiched in between some of the world’s most famous postcodes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eNairn himself affectionately called it ‘Westminster behind the Abbey’ in his influential 1966 guidebook, \u003cem\u003eNairn’s London\u003c\/em\u003e. But for many of those who live there, it’s an oasis of calm at the centre of a bustling metropolis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThis engaging and accessible walking tour — led by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/open-city.org.uk\/golden-key-academy\"\u003eGolden Key Academy\u003c\/a\u003e graduate Joe Brookes —starts at Pimlico Station – and taking inspiration from the 1949 comedy \u003cem\u003ePassport to Pimlico\u003c\/em\u003e, which sees the district declare itself an independent state – we will discover this area’s unique character and ask whether the ‘village’ Nairn promoted as a model for communal living still exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eFrom Thomas Cubitt’s avenues of stucco terraces to the utopian visions of Dolphin Square, Churchill Gardens and the Lillington Gardens Estate, this tour aims to shine a light on a number of architectural gems, offering an engaging journey through interlocking pockets of faded Georgian grandeur, interwar glamour and post-war futures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eProviding a fun way for enthusiastic urbanists to explore the city, we will question inherited notions of a ‘centre’ and the boundaries which constitute urban landscapes; examine the conditions necessary for community, particularly the interplay between public and private space; consider the impact of transport on the area’s development, including looking at how Pimlico’s mid-20th century road system foreshadowed the contemporary policy of low-traffic neighbourhoods; and compare Pimlico’s patchwork of community hubs with the commercial ‘placemaking’ of its southbank counterpart, Nine Elms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eUltimately, we will consider whether Pimlico, and the concept of the urban village which Nairn's analysis seems to echo, is really an ideal for living, while attempting to grasp just why this area is considered a ‘non-place’ for so many.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"block-de46f678e19c8ca5a991\" data-block-type=\"8\" data-block-json='{\"existingGallery\":null,\"newWindow\":false,\"methodOption\":\"transient\",\"active-alignment\":\"left\",\"aspectRatio\":null,\"auto-crop\":true,\"autoplay\":true,\"autoplay-duration\":5,\"blockAnimation\":\"none\",\"collectionId\":\"618963f288e9155cbeae2b32\",\"controls\":true,\"design\":\"slideshow\",\"meta-position\":\"bottom\",\"show-meta\":true,\"show-meta-basic\":true,\"show-meta-only-title\":false,\"show-meta-only-description\":false,\"show-meta-on-hover\":false,\"square-thumbs\":true,\"thumbnails\":false,\"vSize\":null,\"transientGalleryId\":\"618963f288e9155cbeae2b32\"}' class=\"sqs-block gallery-block sqs-block-gallery\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1636972394179_298\" class=\"sqs-block-content\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1636972394179_173\" class=\"sqs-gallery-container\n  sqs-gallery-block-slideshow\n  \n  \n  sqs-gallery-has-controls\n  \n\n  \n    sqs-gallery-block-show-meta sqs-gallery-block-meta-position-bottom\n    \n  \n  sqs-gallery-block-show-meta\n  \n  \n\n  \n  \n\n  \n  block-animation-none\n  clear\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\" id=\"block-1d0ab26f6e45b2117a65\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block-content\" id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1662635785193_2349\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey information\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pimlico tube station, outside Rampayne Street exit, SW1V 2JA (the group will first move around the corner to Paolozzi Vent outside Pimlico Station. The\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e2nd stop on this tour will be the Pride of Pimlico pub on Tachbrook Street)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnds:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ebury Bridge (a short walk from Victoria Station)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDuration:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.5 hrs approx\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 miles approx\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eAbout your tour guide\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eJoe Brookes is a civil servant interested in how stories and journeys interact with our sense of place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAs well as tour guiding Brookes is currently attempting to combine poetry, film and ambient music to create powerful documents of London’s dynamic landscape. You can read our interview with him \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/open-city.org.uk\/golden-key-academy-joe-brooks\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehere\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBrookes is a graduate of the 2022 \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/open-city.org.uk\/golden-key-academy\"\u003eGolden Key Academy\u003c\/a\u003e — a masterclass for urban and architectural tour guiding run by Open City. He joined the Open City tours team in December 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"block-7240a3a06edf0871dcf2\" data-block-type=\"2\" class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block-content\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sqsrte-small\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\" data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhoto:\u003c\/strong\u003e by Open City tours\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch5 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e","brand":"OpenCityShop","offers":[{"title":"Solidarity ticket","offer_id":56663118709114,"sku":"TOURS","price":19.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Standard ticket","offer_id":56663118741882,"sku":"TOURS","price":17.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"0ver 65s ticket","offer_id":56663118774650,"sku":"TOURS","price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Under 25s ticket","offer_id":56663118807418,"sku":"TOURS","price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Income support\/jobseekers ticket","offer_id":56663118840186,"sku":"TOURS","price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1068\/1786\/files\/Screenshot2026-04-09at18.50.39_2df5bd8d-9d85-4635-9fe2-c8db119f7c84.png?v=1776069763","url":"https:\/\/shop.open-city.org.uk\/products\/ian-nairn-s-pimlico-walking-tour-saturday-9-may-2026-11am","provider":"Open City Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}