London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. It is among the oldest of the world’s great cities and one of the most cosmopolitan. It is also the country’s economic, transportation, and cultural centre.
Central London
|
|
|
|
|
East London
|
|
|
|
|
North London
|
|
|
|
|
North West London
|
|
|
|
|
South East London
|
|
|
|
|
South West London
|
|
|
|
|
West London
|
|
|
|
|
Middlesex
|
|
|
|
|
Surrey
|
|
|
|
City of London
Tower Hamlets – Previously the metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Bethnal Green and Bow.
Kensington & Chelsea – Previously the metropolitan boroughs of those names.
Hammersmith & Fulham – Previously the metropolitan boroughs of those names.
Kingston-upon-Thames – Previously the Surrey boroughs of Kingston upon Thames, Malden & Coombe and Surbiton.
Merton – Previously the Surrey boroughs of Wimbledon and Mitcham, and the urban district of Merton & Morden.
Sutton – Previously the Surrey boroughs of Beddington and Sutton & Cheam, and the urban district of Carshalton.
Barking & Dagenham – Previously the Essex boroughs of those names.
Harrow – The great survivor of London government, Harrow has existed in pretty much the same boundaries since 1934. So, there you go.
Incidentally, today's boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Barking & Dagenham were initially known simply as Hammersmith and Barking. They were renamed in 1979 and 1980 respectively. So, now you know.
Westminster – The old metropolitan borough of Westminster. Today, that's the whole of the modern City of Westminster south of Oxford Street.
Marylebone – The old metropolitan boroughs of Paddington and St Marylebone. Today, that's the whole of the modern City of Westminster north of Oxford Street.
Clerkenwell – The old metropolitan boroughs of Holborn, Finsbury and Shoreditch. This area – which includes everything from the British Museum to Old Street roundabout – is today broken up between the boroughs of Camden, Islington and Hackney.
Camden – The old metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead and St Pancras, which is most of modern Camden.
Islington – The old metropolitan borough of Islington, which is most of, well, you can probably guess.
Hackney – The old metropolitan boroughs of Hackney and Stoke Newington, which is most of modern Hackney.
Southwark – The old metropolitan boroughs of Southwark and Bermondsey; basically, the northern third of modern Southwark.
Greenwich – The old metropolitan boroughs of Deptford and Greenwich, which today make up northern Lewisham and western Greenwich.
Lewisham – The old metropolitan borough of Lewisham, in splendid isolation, and without a riverfront.
Woolwich – The old metropolitan borough, today part of Greenwich
Camberwell – The old metropolitan borough of Camberwell, which is the southern bit of modern Southwark.
Lambeth – The old metropolitan borough of Lambeth, which is the eastern half of modern, well, Lambeth.
Battersea – The old metropolitan borough of Battersea, and part of its neighbour Wandsworth. Today this is western Lambeth and eastern Wandsworth. (We’re guessing a bit about which bits of Wandsworth this borough would contain, but we’re happy with our guess.)
Wandsworth – The rest of the old metropolitan borough of Wandsworth.
Richmond – The boroughs of Richmond and Barnes, previously in Surrey, today forming most of Richmond.
Chiswick – The boroughs of Acton, and Brentford & Chiswick. Previously in Middlesex, these are today part of between Ealing and Hounslow respectively.
Willesden – The old Middlesex borough of Willesden, today forming half of Brent.
Hendon – The old Middlesex borough of Hendon, today forming the western half of Barnet.
Barnet – The urban districts of Barnet, East Barnet (both in Hertfordshire) and Friern Barnet, and the borough of Finchley (both in Middlesex). Today this is all in Barnet.
Wood Green – The Middlesex boroughs of Southgate, Hornsey and Wood Green; today the former is in Enfield, the latter pair in Haringey.
Tottenham – The Middlesex boroughs of Tottenham and Edmonton, today in Haringey and Enfield respectively.
Waltham Forest – The Essex boroughs of Walthamstow and Chingford. Today this is most of Waltham Forest.
West Ham – The county borough of that name, repurposed as a London borough. Today that's in Newham.
East Ham – The county borough of East Ham, now a London borough. Today that's in Newham, too. (In the name of simplicity we've assumed the bits of Barking west of the River Roding and – more confusingly – Woolwich north of the River Thames that ended up in Newham would have ended up in the London Borough of East Ham, too.)
Ilford – The Essex borough that today makes up eastern Redbridge. (The north eastern patch, around Hainault, was actually previously in Chigwell, but also ended up in the new Redbridge; we've assumed it would have been in this parallel reality, too.)
Romford – Then an Essex borough, today the northern part of Havering.
Hornchuech – Then an Essex urban district, which today makes up the rest of Havering.
Bexley – The Kent Boroughs of Erith and Bexley, and urban district of Crayford. Today that's most of Bexley.
Orpington – The Kent urban districts of Orpington, and Chislehurst & Sidcup. These are now eastern Bromley and southern Bexley respectively.
Bromley – The Kent boroughs of Bromley and Beckenham, and urban district of Penge, now all safely ensconced in modern Bromley.
Croydon – The old county borough, now the northern half of the London borough of the same name.
Twickenham – Then a Middlesex borough, now part of Richmond.
Hounslow – The Middlesex borough of Heston & Isleworth, now part of Hounslow.
Southall – The Middlesex borough of Southall, and urban district of Hayes & Harlington. These are now split between Ealing and Uxbridge.
Uxbridge – The borough of Uxbridge and urban districts of Ruislip Northwood and Yiewsley & West Drayton. Then they were all in Middlesex, today that's most of Hillingdon.
Ealing – The Middlesex borough of the same name, now part of Ealing.
Wembley – The Middlesex borough of the same name, now the northern half of Brent.
London over the borderAnd then, there are the six Herbert boroughs which extend beyond today's London.
In the north there's...
Enfield – Which contains the old Middlesex borough of Enfield, as well as the Cheshunt urban district. In the event, the latter was excluded from London, and remained in Hertfordshire.
Woodford – Odd one, this, combining two boroughs which made it into London (Leyton, and Wanstead & Woodford) with an urban district (Chigwell) which remained in Essex. The main thing that these areas have in common now is proximity to the more urban chunks of Epping Forest and the Epping branch of the Central Line.
Staines – The urban district of Feltham (then in Middlesex, now in Hounslow), combined with the urban districts of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames (today in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne).
Coulsdon – A merger of two Surrey urban districts: Coulsdon & Purley, and Caterham & Warlingham. In the event, the former got swallowed by Croydon, while the latter remains in Surrey as part of Tandridge.
Elmbridge – Today a Surrey borough, created from the merger of the urban districts of Esher and Walton & Weybridge.
Epsom – Two Surrey urban districts, Epsom & Ewell and Banstead. Today, the latter is part of Reigate & Banstead, while the former stands alone.
Tower Hamlets – Previously the metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Bethnal Green and Bow.
Kensington & Chelsea – Previously the metropolitan boroughs of those names.
Hammersmith & Fulham – Previously the metropolitan boroughs of those names.
Kingston-upon-Thames – Previously the Surrey boroughs of Kingston upon Thames, Malden & Coombe and Surbiton.
Merton – Previously the Surrey boroughs of Wimbledon and Mitcham, and the urban district of Merton & Morden.
Sutton – Previously the Surrey boroughs of Beddington and Sutton & Cheam, and the urban district of Carshalton.
Barking & Dagenham – Previously the Essex boroughs of those names.
Harrow – The great survivor of London government, Harrow has existed in pretty much the same boundaries since 1934. So, there you go.
Incidentally, today's boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Barking & Dagenham were initially known simply as Hammersmith and Barking. They were renamed in 1979 and 1980 respectively. So, now you know.
Westminster – The old metropolitan borough of Westminster. Today, that's the whole of the modern City of Westminster south of Oxford Street.
Marylebone – The old metropolitan boroughs of Paddington and St Marylebone. Today, that's the whole of the modern City of Westminster north of Oxford Street.
Clerkenwell – The old metropolitan boroughs of Holborn, Finsbury and Shoreditch. This area – which includes everything from the British Museum to Old Street roundabout – is today broken up between the boroughs of Camden, Islington and Hackney.
Camden – The old metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead and St Pancras, which is most of modern Camden.
Islington – The old metropolitan borough of Islington, which is most of, well, you can probably guess.
Hackney – The old metropolitan boroughs of Hackney and Stoke Newington, which is most of modern Hackney.
Southwark – The old metropolitan boroughs of Southwark and Bermondsey; basically, the northern third of modern Southwark.
Greenwich – The old metropolitan boroughs of Deptford and Greenwich, which today make up northern Lewisham and western Greenwich.
Lewisham – The old metropolitan borough of Lewisham, in splendid isolation, and without a riverfront.
Woolwich – The old metropolitan borough, today part of Greenwich
Camberwell – The old metropolitan borough of Camberwell, which is the southern bit of modern Southwark.
Lambeth – The old metropolitan borough of Lambeth, which is the eastern half of modern, well, Lambeth.
Battersea – The old metropolitan borough of Battersea, and part of its neighbour Wandsworth. Today this is western Lambeth and eastern Wandsworth. (We’re guessing a bit about which bits of Wandsworth this borough would contain, but we’re happy with our guess.)
Wandsworth – The rest of the old metropolitan borough of Wandsworth.
Richmond – The boroughs of Richmond and Barnes, previously in Surrey, today forming most of Richmond.
Chiswick – The boroughs of Acton, and Brentford & Chiswick. Previously in Middlesex, these are today part of between Ealing and Hounslow respectively.
Willesden – The old Middlesex borough of Willesden, today forming half of Brent.
Hendon – The old Middlesex borough of Hendon, today forming the western half of Barnet.
Barnet – The urban districts of Barnet, East Barnet (both in Hertfordshire) and Friern Barnet, and the borough of Finchley (both in Middlesex). Today this is all in Barnet.
Wood Green – The Middlesex boroughs of Southgate, Hornsey and Wood Green; today the former is in Enfield, the latter pair in Haringey.
Tottenham – The Middlesex boroughs of Tottenham and Edmonton, today in Haringey and Enfield respectively.
Waltham Forest – The Essex boroughs of Walthamstow and Chingford. Today this is most of Waltham Forest.
West Ham – The county borough of that name, repurposed as a London borough. Today that's in Newham.
East Ham – The county borough of East Ham, now a London borough. Today that's in Newham, too. (In the name of simplicity we've assumed the bits of Barking west of the River Roding and – more confusingly – Woolwich north of the River Thames that ended up in Newham would have ended up in the London Borough of East Ham, too.)
Ilford – The Essex borough that today makes up eastern Redbridge. (The north eastern patch, around Hainault, was actually previously in Chigwell, but also ended up in the new Redbridge; we've assumed it would have been in this parallel reality, too.)
Romford – Then an Essex borough, today the northern part of Havering.
Hornchuech – Then an Essex urban district, which today makes up the rest of Havering.
Bexley – The Kent Boroughs of Erith and Bexley, and urban district of Crayford. Today that's most of Bexley.
Orpington – The Kent urban districts of Orpington, and Chislehurst & Sidcup. These are now eastern Bromley and southern Bexley respectively.
Bromley – The Kent boroughs of Bromley and Beckenham, and urban district of Penge, now all safely ensconced in modern Bromley.
Croydon – The old county borough, now the northern half of the London borough of the same name.
Twickenham – Then a Middlesex borough, now part of Richmond.
Hounslow – The Middlesex borough of Heston & Isleworth, now part of Hounslow.
Southall – The Middlesex borough of Southall, and urban district of Hayes & Harlington. These are now split between Ealing and Uxbridge.
Uxbridge – The borough of Uxbridge and urban districts of Ruislip Northwood and Yiewsley & West Drayton. Then they were all in Middlesex, today that's most of Hillingdon.
Ealing – The Middlesex borough of the same name, now part of Ealing.
Wembley – The Middlesex borough of the same name, now the northern half of Brent.
London over the borderAnd then, there are the six Herbert boroughs which extend beyond today's London.
In the north there's...
Enfield – Which contains the old Middlesex borough of Enfield, as well as the Cheshunt urban district. In the event, the latter was excluded from London, and remained in Hertfordshire.
Woodford – Odd one, this, combining two boroughs which made it into London (Leyton, and Wanstead & Woodford) with an urban district (Chigwell) which remained in Essex. The main thing that these areas have in common now is proximity to the more urban chunks of Epping Forest and the Epping branch of the Central Line.
Staines – The urban district of Feltham (then in Middlesex, now in Hounslow), combined with the urban districts of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames (today in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne).
Coulsdon – A merger of two Surrey urban districts: Coulsdon & Purley, and Caterham & Warlingham. In the event, the former got swallowed by Croydon, while the latter remains in Surrey as part of Tandridge.
Elmbridge – Today a Surrey borough, created from the merger of the urban districts of Esher and Walton & Weybridge.
Epsom – Two Surrey urban districts, Epsom & Ewell and Banstead. Today, the latter is part of Reigate & Banstead, while the former stands alone.
