Victoria Square, Westminster
London is full of unexpected surprises, hidden alleys and gorgeous little ‘finds’ and one of my favourites is Victoria Square, just a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace.
It is a collection of 26 stucco fronted houses that surround a delightful square enclosed with traditional railings and lanterns.
Originally constructed at the time Queen Victoria came to the throne, it was refurbished about 10 years ago with a formal, symmetrical layout, paving, raised beds, seating and a couple of mature Indian Bean trees at each end.
The centrepiece of the renovated gardens is a life size bronze statue of the young Queen Victoria as she would have looked when she started her reign at just 18 years old and I am always struck at how petite she was, measuring just a smidgen under 5 ft.
For any James Bond fans, you may be interested to know that author Ian Fleming lived at number 16, moving in just as his first Bond outing Casino Royale was published and where he threw a post-premiere 'From Russia with Love' party.
A wonderful quiet place to take time out from the masses of people in the surrounding neighbourhood and super close to the Royal Mews, where you can see some of the rather spectacular coaches used by the Royal Family.
