Weekday Walks | Victoria

When I first came to live and work in London some twenty years ago, I lived in a small bedsit (shared bathroom!) on the edge of Victoria, which is in the City of Westminster.  To be honest with you, back then that whole area was a bit of a dump.  How things have changed!  The area has undergone/is undergoing massive regeneration, but not all of it is to my taste.  I’m not a big fan of glass and chrome, I prefer the traditional. Westminster Cathedral has been at the heart of Victoria since the foundation stone was laid in 1895 (the building work took just 8 years to complete) and is the Mother Church to all Roman Catholics in England and Wales.  I confess to never have been inside, but I plan to rectify that,  having learned that the tower can be climbed.What makes Victoria attractive for me is its wealth of glorious Mansion blocks.  Recent viewing in an estate agent’s window informs me that currently a one bedroom flat with a long lease and a share of the freehold will cost somewhere in the region of £825,000. I like to imagine that such residential blocks are home to thriving communities, but I suspect that the reality is somewhat different.  If I stood outside looking in on a dark night, it wouldn’t surprise me to see hardly any lights on.  These days,  lock up and leave mansion block flats offer wealthy owners the perfect pied-a-terre.  The area around Victoria station is probably best avoided right now (and right up until late 2018, when the station upgrade work is due to finish).  However, if you can dodge crowds of weary commuters and hoardings, stranded on a small concrete island is Little Ben.  The clock tower was first erected in 1892 and is just back in place after a four-year restoration.

My walk began and ended at Victoria underground station and took around an hour.