Central London

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OpenStreetMap of Central London Open street map central london.svg
OpenStreetMap of Central London

Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteristics are understood to include a high-density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally, nationally and internationally significant organisations and facilities.

Contents

Road distances to London are traditionally measured from a central point at Charing Cross (in the City of Westminster), which is marked by the statue of King Charles I at the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square. [1]

Characteristics

The central area is distinguished, according to the Royal Commission, by the inclusion within its boundaries of Parliament and the Royal Palaces, the headquarters of Government, the Law Courts, the head offices of a very large number of commercial and industrial firms, as well as institutions of great influence in the intellectual life of the nation such as the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, the University of London, the headquarters of the national ballet and opera, together with the headquarters of many national associations, the great professions, the trade unions, the trade associations, social service societies, as well as shopping centres and centres of entertainment which attract people from the whole of Greater London and farther afield. In many other respects the central area differs from areas farther out in London. The rateable value of the central area is exceptionally high. Its day population is very much larger than its night population. Its traffic problems reach an intensity not encountered anywhere else in the Metropolis or in any provincial city, and the enormous office developments which have taken place recently constitute a totally new phenomenon.

Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . House of Commons. 24 January 1963., Eric Lubbock

Definitions

London Plan

Central London
Central activities zone (CAZ) with City of London and borough boundaries in 2023

The London Plan defines the 'Central Activities Zone' policy area, which comprises the City of London, most of Westminster and the inner parts of Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea and Wandsworth. [2] It is described as "a unique cluster of vitally important activities including central government offices, headquarters and embassies, the largest concentration of London's financial and business services sector and the offices of trade, professional bodies, institutions, associations, communications, publishing, advertising and the media". [3]

For strategic planning, since 2011 there has been a Central London sub-region comprising the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Westminster and the City of London. [4] From 2004 to 2008, the London Plan included a sub-region called Central London comprising Camden, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and Westminster. [5] It had a 2001 population of 1,525,000. The sub-region was replaced in 2008 with a new structure which amalgamated inner and outer boroughs together. This was altered in 2011 when a new Central London sub-region was created, now including the City of London and excluding Wandsworth.

1901 Census

The 1901 Census defined Central London as the City of London and the metropolitan boroughs of Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Finsbury, Holborn, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stepney, St Marylebone and Westminster. [6]

1959–1963 proposals for a central London borough

During the Herbert Commission and the subsequent passage of the London Government Bill, three unsuccessful attempts were made to define an area that would form a central London borough. The first two were detailed in the 1959 Memorandum of Evidence of the Greater London Group of the London School of Economics.

"Scheme A" envisaged a central London borough, one of 25, consisting of the City of London, Westminster, Holborn, Finsbury and the inner parts of St Marylebone, St Pancras, Chelsea, Southwark and Lambeth. The boundary deviated from existing lines to include all central London railway stations, the Tower of London and the museums, such that it included small parts of Kensington, Shoreditch, Stepney and Bermondsey. It had an estimated population of 350,000 and occupied 7,000 acres (28 km2). [7]

"Scheme B" delineated central London, as one of 7 boroughs, including most of the City of London, the whole of Finsbury and Holborn, most of Westminster and Southwark, parts of St Pancras, St Marylebone, Paddington and a small part of Kensington. The area had an estimated population of 400,000 and occupied 8,000 acres (32 km2). [7]

During the passage of the London Government Bill an amendment was put forward to create a central borough corresponding to the definition used at the 1961 census. It consisted of the City of London, all of Westminster, Holborn and Finsbury; and the inner parts of Shoreditch, Stepney, Bermondsey, Southwark, Lambeth, Chelsea, Kensington, Paddington, St Marylebone and St Pancras. The population was estimated to be 270,000. [8]

London 360deg Panorama from the London Eye.jpg
Panorama of Central London in 2009 as seen from the London Eye

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">County of London</span> County of England between 1889 and 1965

The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of London, which included within its territory the City of London. However, the City of London and the County of London formed separate ceremonial counties for "non-administrative" purposes. The local authority for the county was the London County Council (LCC), which initially performed only a limited range of functions, but gained further powers during its 76-year existence. The LCC provided very few services within the City of London, where the ancient Corporation monopolised local governance. In 1900, the lower-tier civil parishes and district boards were replaced with 28 new metropolitan boroughs. The territory of the county was 74,903 acres (303.12 km2) in 1961. During its existence, there was a long-term decline in population as more residents moved into the outer suburbs; there were periodic reviews of the local government structures in the greater London area and several failed attempts to expand the boundaries of the county. In 1965, the London Government Act 1963 replaced the county with the much larger Greater London administrative area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury</span>

The Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury was a metropolitan borough within the County of London from 1900 to 1965, when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Islington to form the London Borough of Islington.

A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units (BCUs), although as of 2009 some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Central (European Parliament constituency)</span> Constituency of the European Parliament

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel, London</span> Human settlement in England

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the city known as London:

This is a list of coats of arms of London.

References

  1. "OS MapZone – From where, exactly, are distances from London measured?". Ordnance Survey . Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  2. Mayor of London (2008). "Central activities zone". London Plan . Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  3. Mayor of London (2008). "Central activities zone policies". London Plan . Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  4. "London's Places" (PDF). London Plan . Greater London Authority. 2011. p. 46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  5. Mayor of London (February 2004). "The London Plan: Chapter 5" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2011.
  6. "1901 Census of England and Wales, General Report with Appendices (1904 CVIII (Cd. 2174) 1)" . Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  7. 1 2 Greater London Group (July 1959). Memorandum of Evidence to The Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London. London School of Economics.
  8. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . House of Commons. 24 January 1963.

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