Celebrated novelist Barbara Pym will be commemorated with an English Heritage blue plaque today (1 May).

The plaque will mark number 108 Cambridge Street in Pimlico, where Pym lived from November 1945 to autumn 1949, a pivotal period in her career, during which she began writing her most celebrated novel, Excellent Women (1952).

It was at this address – which she shared with her sister Hilary – that Pym embarked on her journey to literary acclaim, capturing the essence of everyday life with her distinctive blend of wit and poignant observation.

Her experiences of living and working in London during the post-war years of austerity provided rich material for her writing, and Excellent Women drew heavily from her surroundings and the lives of the often-overlooked women of the era.

The second-floor flat at 108 Cambridge Street served as Pym’s creative sanctuary. From her corner room, overlooking Warwick Square and St Gabriel’s Church, she meticulously recorded her observations, laying the groundwork for her distinctive literary voice.

Pym’s work from this period, including revising the text for her first published novel, Some Tame Gazelle (1950), reflects her keen understanding of human nature and her ability to portray the lives of ordinary people, particularly those of unmarried women, with empathy and humour.

Her novels offer a valuable historical and social commentary which, together with her sharp social observations and ability to find humour in everyday situations, has cemented her place as a significant figure in 20th-century British literature.

Barbara Pym now joins a distinguished group of 20th-century female authors commemorated by English Heritage blue plaques in London, including figures such as Angela Carter, Jean Rhys, Georgette Heyer and Iris Murdoch.

Author, broadcaster and historian Lucy Worsley said: "Barbara Pym’s time at 108 Cambridge Street was transformative, marking her transition from aspiring writer to published author. Her novels, rooted in the everyday experiences of post-war London, offer a unique and enduring perspective on the period. This blue plaque celebrates her significant contribution to British literature and her ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary."

Dame Jilly Cooper said: “Barbara Pym has brought me more happiness and gentle laughter than any other writer.”

English Heritage historian Susan Skedd said: “It is a real pleasure to honour Barbara Pym at her home in ‘bedsit land’ where she found so much rich material for her writing and also enjoyed much happiness, both from living with her sister and from fulfilling her potential as a writer.”

Devon Allison, Chair of the Barbara Pym Society, said: “When the Second World War ended 80 years ago, the newly demobbed officer Barbara Pym moved into this Pimlico flat. A born writer, her most famous novel Excellent Women is set here, in her first civilian home after the war. No wonder the novel features a glamorous naval officer alongside people finding their way to new lives in post-war London.

“Barbara Pym was a writer of genius - brave, kind, intelligent, brilliantly funny and endlessly re-readable. We in the Barbara Pym Society know that she is a precious artist indeed, and we are very proud that she is being honoured today by English Heritage.”