If your holiday photos deserve better than a phone camera, Pimlico has quietly become a detour worth making. Mr Cad is a long-running vintage camera shop in this corner of south-west London, tucked between the antiques dealers of Pimlico Road and the residential streets a short walk from the River Thames.
The shop specialises in secondhand and film cameras — the kind of place where shelves hold decades of photographic kit, from classic 35mm SLRs and rangefinders to lenses, light meters and the odd medium-format rarity. It's the sort of store that attracts two very different crowds: serious collectors hunting a specific lens, and travellers who simply fancy a film camera to bring on their next trip.
That second group is the one to watch. With film photography firmly back in fashion, browsing a physical camera shop is a genuinely enjoyable hour, even if you leave empty-handed. Staff at shops like this typically know their stock inside out, so it's a good spot to ask beginner questions — which cheap 35mm to start with, how to check a used camera's shutter, where to get film developed in London.
Location helps. Pimlico sits between Victoria and Chelsea, and Mr Cad pairs well with a stroll along Pimlico Road's antiques shops, a wander through Battersea Park just across the river, or the short hop to Tate Britain. It's a small, niche stop rather than a full-day attraction, but it slots neatly into a west London day out.
For travellers, the appeal is simple: a real, specialist independent shop, an excuse to explore a low-key neighbourhood most tourists skip, and possibly a film camera that turns your next holiday into a better-looking photo album. Call ahead or check opening hours before making the trip — small specialist shops can keep irregular hours — and if you're flying home, remember that vintage cameras can trigger questions at airport security, so keep hand-inspection requests in mind for film.
