Victoria, the area centred around the eponymous station, encompasses key roads such as Victoria Street, Buckingham Palace Road and Vauxhall Bridge Road. Despite being part of the illustrious City of Westminster, home to landmarks such as Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, Victoria has a more chequered past: the location of slums until the mid-19th century, part of it was dubbed the ‘Devil’s Acre’ by Charles Dickens.

Today, however, Victoria is home to professional services and private equity companies, and the headquarters of several fashion brands, including Jimmy Choo and Sweaty Betty. The area offers an increasingly varied and interesting retail and leisure experience too, which will continue to grow. The old House of Fraser store at 105 Victoria Street is being redeveloped and there will be a new urban plaza with smaller retail units and market stalls, set to attract further independent and brand names, adding to the choice for local workers, tourists and residents of places to shop and relax. 

These occupiers and developments have taken the place of predominantly government and public sector tenants in dated buildings that tended to dominate the market until the early 2000s, when LandSec’s £2.2 billion regeneration kickstarted its transformation. Now, Victoria’s number of Grade A prime offices, plus the superb transport links offered by the station and its proximity to the open spaces of Green Park and St James’s Park, tick the boxes for an ever-more diverse selection of occupiers on two of their most prized requirements: amenity and wellness. With demand high and an extremely low vacancy rate, there is still an opportunity for landlords to deliver new space and see rental growth.

Victoria in three questions

Where’s the best place to eat?

AT: Chez Antoinette, with its Parisian-style bistro tables, brings a little piece of France to Victoria. It’s located on the Buckingham Green estate and is the perfect venue for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

HB: For a real experience I’d choose the Cinnamon Club at the Westminster end of Victoria, serving Indian fine dining. It’s an institution, having been open since 2001, in the fabulous Grade II listed Westminster Library. To go all out try the tasting menu which will have you in all sorts of sensory overload.

What’s your hidden gem?

AT: Tucked away around the back of the station, Eccleston Yards is home to a variety of independent bars and cafés, plus in the summer you can pull up a deckchair and watch Wimbledon or other sports on their big screen. Great for drinks with colleagues after work.

HB: Iris & June, on Howick Place just off Victoria Street, does the best coffee and pastries in a quiet setting, allowing you to get away from it all for a few minutes. It has a real feeling that staff love what they do.

Favourite fact about the area?

AT: The Goring was rumoured to be the late HM Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite hotel, and is the only hotel in the world with a Royal Warrant. It’s the epitome of old-school British glamour and service and well worth a visit as a special treat.

HB: You’ve heard of Big Ben, but ‘Little Ben’, a 20 ft (6.1 m) tall clock tower in the same style of its larger namesake, stands at the intersection of Vauxhall Bridge Road and Victoria Street.

Further information

Contact Hunter Booth or Angus Tullberg

An occupiers guide in three questions: Fitzrovia