A Two-Bedroom Home in One of My Favourite Corners of Vauxhall

It isn’t often that I get to bring a property to market quite this close to home. Pippins Court is only a few minutes’ walk from where I live myself, so this is an area I know not just as an estate agent, but as someone who actually lives here and uses all of the things I’m about to tell you about.

And perhaps one of the nicest endorsements of the area comes from the current owner: they’re looking to move, but ideally not very far at all. Having lived here, they love the neighbourhood and would like to stay within the area.

The apartment

Pippins Court is tucked away on Vauxhall Grove, in one of those surprisingly quiet little pockets that you could easily miss if you only knew Vauxhall from the station.

The apartment itself is a spacious two-bedroom home, with a large reception room that comfortably allows for separate living and dining areas, a separate fitted kitchen, two proper double bedrooms, a bathroom and useful hallway storage.

There’s scope to update the interiors over time, which I actually think is part of the appeal: rather than paying a premium for somebody else’s taste, there’s a good amount of space here to make your own.

You also have access to the communal gardens, plus an allocated space in the underground car park — something that is genuinely useful around here and increasingly difficult to find.

Why I personally like this part of Vauxhall

This is probably where I’m slightly biased, because it’s around the corner from me.

One of the things I like most about living here is that Vauxhall isn't really one neighbourhood. Walk a few minutes in different directions and it changes completely.

Bonnington Square is just along the road and is probably one of my favourite little pockets locally. It feels almost hidden away, with greenery everywhere and a real neighbourhood feel. Italo is brilliant when the weather is good and you can sit outside with a coffee or something to eat, while Bonnington Café is another of those places that makes the area feel much more individual than you might expect this close to central London.

Then you've got Vauxhall Park nearby. I use the local green spaces far more than I expected to when I moved here — whether that's simply walking through them, heading towards the river or wandering over towards Kennington. Vauxhall Park itself has around eight acres of green space, tennis courts and its lavender garden, and Parco Café on Fentiman Road is handy for coffee or brunch.

Eating and drinking locally

This is another reason I like living here: you don't have to head into central London every time you want somewhere decent to eat or have a drink.

The Black Dog on Vauxhall Walk is a great proper local pub, Mc & Sons on Kennington Lane combines an Irish-pub atmosphere with Thai food, and Brunswick House is probably one of the most distinctive places locally for dinner or drinks.

Market Place underneath Vauxhall station is also genuinely useful rather than just something I'd put into an estate-agent description — particularly when you're meeting friends and nobody can agree what they want to eat.

And because we're right on the edge of Kennington and Oval, I find myself using those areas just as much. Kennington Cross has plenty of independent places, Cleaver Square is lovely, and heading towards Oval gives you another collection of cafés, pubs and everyday shops.

One of the biggest advantages: you can walk everywhere

This is probably the thing I've appreciated most since living locally.

The Thames is close enough that it becomes somewhere you actually use rather than somewhere you occasionally visit. From Vauxhall you can walk east towards Westminster and the South Bank or west through Nine Elms towards Battersea.

On a sunny weekend, walking along the river towards Battersea Power Station, stopping somewhere for lunch or a drink and wandering back is completely realistic. No Tube journey required.

Battersea Power Station is also close enough that I regard it as one of my local options for shops, restaurants and the cinema rather than somewhere I'm making a special journey to.

And when you do need to travel…

Vauxhall is incredibly difficult to beat.

You have the Victoria line and National Rail from Vauxhall, with Waterloo only a few minutes away by train. The Victoria line takes you directly through Victoria, Green Park, Oxford Circus, Warren Street, Euston and King's Cross St Pancras.

Nine Elms gives you the Northern line as another option, and there are buses going in virtually every direction.

For me, that's the real appeal of living here: central London is exceptionally accessible, but your immediate surroundings don't feel particularly central-London-ish.

You can come out of Vauxhall station, walk for a few minutes and suddenly find yourself among residential streets, garden squares, mature trees and neighbourhood cafés.

A home — and an area — with plenty going for it

Obviously, I'm selling the apartment, so you would be entirely justified in taking my enthusiasm with a pinch of salt.

But in this case I also chose to live a few minutes away from it.

I think that says more about my opinion of the location than any conventional estate-agent description could.

Pippins Court gives you two proper double bedrooms, a generous living and dining space, communal gardens and underground parking, all in a quieter residential pocket where Vauxhall, Kennington, Oval, Nine Elms, Battersea and the Thames are all part of your immediate neighbourhood.

Guide Price: £550,000–£600,000