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Pimlico, London – rare 1950s film of Thomas Cubitt’s stucco streets

Some priceless views of Pimlico in London, made during the 1950s. Many of the buildings and streets in these films have been demolished or redeveloped. However, there are many streets and buildings still very recognisable today. These pieces of originally silent film appear to have been either outtakes, film made for atmosphere or just as a recce of the area.

They were made for two 1950s British feature films made in the 1950s. Most of the clips are connected to the film “Hunted” which starred Dirk Bogarde, and was released in 1952. Some are connected with the later film “Innocent Sinners” starring Flora Robson and David Kossoff, and released in 1958.

Both these films use extensive outside shots in and around the Pimlico area, and for lovers of this unique “village” in the heart of London, they are well worth looking out for. These outtakes, however, have an interest all of their own, in as much as they are often long, lingering, static shots, allowing us to see the people and vehicles of the period going about their daily business.

Other clips are travelling shots made from a car or bus, driving slowly through many of the stucco streets of Pimlico, and are fascinating in their own way too. I have added a “soundtrack” to jolly the films along. One of the recordings is of Gus Elen, (22 July 1862 – 17 February 1940) the famous coster music hall star of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He was born at 103 Pulford Street, Pimlico – now mostly lost to the Tachbrook Estate, which was built during the 1930s, and completed in the 1950s.

Pimlico in 1970: Creation of the Churchill and Lillington Estates