Westminster’s buildings

From Whitehall Court’s Victorian apartments overlooking Horse Guards to the stucco terraces of Pimlico and the mansion blocks around Victoria, Westminster holds some of London’s most significant residential buildings. Our Whitehall Court project, a Grade II* listed lateral apartment, is typical of the work.

Pimlico’s terraces, largely developed by Thomas Cubitt in the nineteenth century, sit within conservation areas and have often been divided into flats and maisonettes, while Victoria and St James’s are home to large mansion blocks and apartment buildings.

Listed buildings and higher-risk buildings

Many Westminster homes are listed or sit in conservation areas, and larger apartment buildings can also fall under the Building Safety Act’s higher-risk building regime, which brings additional building regulations approvals and records. We plan for listed building consent, licences to alter and building regulations approval from the start, so the programme holds.

At Whitehall Court the apartment sat within a higher-risk building, and we managed the additional approvals alongside listed building consent and the freeholder’s licence to alter.

Working within mansion blocks

Mansion block apartments bring practical constraints: agreed working hours, protection of shared parts, lift bookings, noise limits and services that run through the building. Our project managers plan the works around these from the outset and keep the managing agent, the freeholder and neighbours informed throughout.

Design that respects the building

Inside, we reconfigure layouts to suit modern living while keeping the details that give these apartments their character: tall windows, cornicing, panelled doors and parquet floors. Our interior designers specify finishes and lighting to suit the rooms, and our joinery workshop makes kitchens, bookcases and wardrobes to fit them exactly.

Where earlier conversions have left awkward layouts, we rethink the plan as a whole, so that halls, kitchens and bedrooms sit sensibly in relation to each other and the apartment’s best rooms get the best light.

One accountable team

Architecture, interiors, project management and bespoke joinery come from one practice, with a single point of contact from first meeting to handover. We act as project manager and contract administrator during the works, overseeing the contractor, the costs and the quality.

Regular site meetings, clear reports and a single programme mean you always know where the project stands, even if you are not in London while the works take place.

Pimlico’s terraces

Pimlico’s white stucco terraces were built to a consistent design, and that uniformity is closely protected. Most homes here are flats or maisonettes, so alterations usually focus on reorganising interiors, improving kitchens and bathrooms and adding storage, with any external changes handled carefully through planning. We also work on the area’s mews and smaller houses, where the same care applies at a smaller scale.

Belgravia and the estates

Further west, much of Belgravia belongs to the Grosvenor estate, which has its own design guidance and consent process for alterations. We prepare the information the estate requires and coordinate its approval with planning and listed building consent.

Services and comfort

Older apartment buildings often need heating, electrics and ventilation renewed. We design new services to sit discreetly within the historic fabric and coordinate with the building’s shared systems.

Buying in Westminster

If you are buying, we can visit with you before exchange to assess the property, the consents your plans would need and the practical constraints of the building.

Starting a conversation

If you own or are buying an apartment or house in Westminster, a conversation and a visit are the best first step. We can talk through the approvals involved, the constraints of the building and a realistic programme. We can also meet your surveyor, agent or managing agent on site.