: ''For London as a whole, see the main article '
London'.''
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The 'City of London' is a geographically-small
city within
Greater London,
England. It is the historic core of
London from which, along with
Westminster, the modern
conurbation grew. The City's boundaries have remained constant since the
Middle Ages, and hence it is now only a tiny part of the larger London metropolis.
The City of London is today a major business and commercial centre, ranking alongside
New York City as the leading centre of global
finance.
[1] It is often referred to as just 'the City' or as the 'Square Mile', as it is approximately one
square mile (2.6 km²) in area; note that these terms are also often used as
metonyms for the UK
financial services industry, which is principally based there. In the
medieval period the City was the full extent of London, and distinct from the nearby but then-separate village of
Westminster, which became the
City of Westminster. The term ''London'' now refers to a much larger conurbation containing both 'cities'. The City of London is still part of London's
city centre, but apart from financial services, most of London's metropolitan functions are centred on the
West End. The City of London has a resident population of under 10,000 but a daily working population that rises to 311,000.
The City itself contains two independent
enclaves —
Inner Temple and
Middle Temple. These form part of the City and
Ceremonial county, but are not governed by the
City of London Corporation. The Corporation governs the rest of the City and also owns various open spaces (parks, forests and commons) in and around London, including most of Epping Forest. It also owns Spitalfields Market and Billingsgate Market, although these are within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Its
Latin motto is "''Domine dirige nos''" which means "''Lord, guide us''".
Extent
The size of the City was originally constrained by a defensive perimeter wall, known as '
London Wall’, which was built by the Romans to protect their strategic port city. However, the boundaries of the City of London are no longer the old City Wall as the city expanded its jurisdiction to the so-called City Bars — such as
Temple Bar. The boundary froze in the medieval period, thus the City did not and does not control the whole of London.
The walls have long since disappeared although several sections remain visible above ground. A section near the
Museum of London was revealed after the devastation of an air-raid on
29 December 1940 at the height of the
Blitz. Other visible sections are at
St Alphage,
London Wall, and there are two sections near the
Tower of London.
The City of London borders the
City of Westminster to the west — the border cutting through
Victoria Embankment, passing to the west of
Middle Temple, going east along
Strand and
Fleet Street, north up
Chancery Lane, where it becomes instead the border with the
London Borough of Camden. It continues north to
Holborn, turns east, continues, and then goes northeast to
Charterhouse Lane. As it crosses
Farringdon Road it becomes the border with the
London Borough of Islington. It continues to
Aldersgate, goes north, and turns into some back streets soon after it becomes
Goswell Road. It ends up on Ropemakers Lane, which as it continues east past
Moorgate becomes South Place. It goes north, becomes the border with the
London Borough of Hackney, then east, north, east on backstreets, meeting
Norton Folgate at the border with the
London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It continues south into
Bishopsgate, and takes some backstreets to
Middlesex Street where it continues south-east then south. It makes a divergence to the west at the end of Middlesex Street to allow the
Tower of London to be in Tower Hamlets, and then reaches the river. The boundaries of the City are marked by black bollards bearing the City's emblem. (
boundary map). In some places the financial district extends slightly beyond the political boundaries of the City to the north and east, into the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington, and informally these locations are seen as part of the "Square Mile". Since the 1990s the eastern fringe of the City, extending into Hackney and Tower Hamlets, has increasingly been a focus for large office developments due to the relatively easy availability of large sites there compared to within the City itself.
Since 1991
Canary Wharf a few miles east of the City Boundary within Tower Hamlets has become a second centre for London's financial services industry and now houses a number of banks and other institutions formerly located in the Square Mile. However, fears that the City would be damaged by this development appear to have been unfounded with growth predicted in both locations. Indeed Canary Wharf may have been of great service to the Square Mile by providing large floorplate office buildings at a time when this was difficult within the City boundary, and therefore preventing strategically important companies such as
HSBC from relocating abroad.
The City of London is England's smallest
ceremonial county by both population and area covered and is the second smallest
British city in both population and size, after
St David's in Wales.
At its maximum extent the City included areas now not part of it, including
Southwark (as the 'ward of bridge without'). The City today controls the full spans of
London Bridge and
Blackfriars Bridge, but only half of the river underneath them.
Extra-mural open spaces
The City of London owns and maintains a number of open spaces outside its boundaries. These are:
Ashtead Common,
Burnham Beeches,
Epping Forest,
Hampstead Heath (including
Parliament Hill),
Highgate Wood,
Queen's Park,
West Ham Park, and
West Wickham and Coulsdon Common.
History
Main articles: History of London
The area of the City of London has been administered separately since 886, when
Alfred the Great appointed his son-in-law
Earl Æthelred of Mercia as Governor of London. Alfred made sure that there was suitable accommodation for merchants from northwest Europe, which was then extended to traders from the
Baltic and
Italy.
The City developed its own code of law for the mercantile classes, developing such autonomy that Sir
Laurence Gomme regarded the City as a separate Kingdom making its own laws. The City was composed of wards governed by
Aldermen, who chaired the Wardmotes. There was a
folkmoot for the whole of the city held in the shadows of
St Paul's Cathedral. In the
tenth century,
Athelstan permitted eight
mints to be established, compared to six in his capital,
Winchester, indicating the wealth of the city.
Following the
Battle of Hastings,
William the Conqueror marched on London, to
Southwark and failed to get across London Bridge or to defeat the Londoners. He eventually crossed the River Thames at
Wallingford, pillaging the land as he went. Rather than continuing the war
Edgar Ætheling,
Edwin of Mercia and
Morcar of Northumbria surrendered at
Berkhamsted. William rewarded London in granting the citizens a charter in 1075; the City of London was one of the few institutions where the English retained some authority.
However, William insured against attack by building 3 Castles nearby so as to keep the Londoners subdued:
★
Tower of London
★
Baynard's Castle
★
Montfichet's Castle
In 1132,
Henry I recognised full
County status for the City, and by 1141 the whole body of the
citizenry was considered to constitute a single community. This was the origin of the
City of London Corporation.
The City burned nearly to the ground twice, first in 1212 and then again (and more famously) in the
Great Fire of London in 1666. Both of these fires were referred to as ''the'' Great Fire.
The City elected four members to the
unreformed House of Commons, which it retained after the
Reform Act 1832 and into the 20th century. Today it is included wholly in the
Cities of London and Westminster constituency, and statute requires that it not be divided between two neighbouring areas.
The City's population fell rapidly in the
19th century and through most of the
20th century as many houses were demolished to make way for modern office blocks. The 1970s saw the construction of many tall buildings including the 600ft, 42-storey
Natwest Tower which became the first
skyscraper in the UK.
This trend for purely office development is beginning to reverse as the Corporation is encouraging residential use, although the resident population is not expected to go much above 10,000 people. Some of the extra accommodation is in small pre-
World War II commercial buildings, which are not suitable for occupation by the large companies which now provide much of the City's employment. The largest residential section of the City is the
Barbican Estate.
Since the 1990s, the City has diversified away from near exclusive office use in some other ways as well. For example, several hotels have opened and also the City's first
department store. However, large sections of it remain very quiet at weekends, and it is quite common to find pubs and cafes closed on these days. In the central areas, a number of additional skyscrapers are also being planned as the financial services industry continues to expand. These will include the 63-storey
Bishopsgate Tower, the 48-storey
Leadenhall Building, the 46-storey
Heron Tower and several other major landmarks that will dramatically alter the skyline.
| Year | Population |
|---|
| 1700 | 208,000 (of which 139,000 within the walls) (estimates) |
| 1750 | 144,000 (of which 87,000 within the walls) (estimates) |
| 1801 | 128,129 (census figure) |
| 1841 | 123,563 (census figure) |
| 1881 | 50,569 (census figure) |
| 1901 | 26,846 (census figure) |
| 1911 | 19,657 (census figure) |
| 1921 | 13,709 (census figure) |
| 1931 | 10,999 (census figure) |
| 1951 | 5,324 (census figure) |
| 1961 | 4,767 (census figure) |
| 1971 | 4,234 (census figure) |
| 1981 | 6,700 (mid-year estimate)1 |
| 1991 | 5,400 (mid-year estimate) |
| 2001 | 7,400 (mid-year estimate) |
| 2004 | 8,600 (mid-year estimate) |
| 2005 | 9,200 (mid-year estimate) |
| 1. figure not strictly comparable with the 1971 figure |
Financial industry
The City of London houses the
London Stock Exchange (
shares and
bonds),
Lloyds of London (
insurance), and the
Bank of England. The
Docklands began development in the
1980s as an alternative financial centre for London and is now home to the
Financial Services Authority, as well as several important financial institutions such as
Barclays Bank,
Citigroup and
HSBC. There are now over 500
banks with offices in the City and Docklands, with the majority of business in London being conducted on an international basis, with established leads in areas such as
Eurobonds,
Foreign exchange markets,
energy futures and global insurance. The
Alternative Investments Market has acted a growth market over the past decade, allowing London to also expand as an international
equity centre for smaller firms.
★
Big Bang (financial markets)
★
The Wimbledon Effect
★ , report by
Corporation of London & Oxford Economic Forecasting, November 2006
★ , report by
Corporation of London & Z/Yen, November 2005
Local government
The City of London has a unique political status (''
sui generis''), a legacy of its uninterrupted integrity as a corporate city since the Anglo Saxon period and its singular relationship with the crown. Historically its system of government was not unusual, but it was not reformed by the
Municipal Reform Act 1835.
It is administered by the
City of London Corporation, headed by the
Lord Mayor of London (not the same post as the more recent
London Mayor, who presides over Greater London). The City is a
ceremonial county too, although instead of having its own
Lord-Lieutenant, the City of London has a Commission, headed by the Lord Mayor, exercising this function.
Elections
The City has a unique electoral system, which follows very few of the usual forms and standards of
democracy. Most of its voters are representatives of businesses and other bodies which occupy premises in the City. Its ancient wards also have very unequal numbers of voters.
The principal justification put forward for the non-resident vote is that approximately 450,000 non-residents constitute the city's day-time population and use most of its services, far outnumbering the City's residents, who are fewer than 10,000. Nevertheless, the system has long been the cause of controversy. The business vote was abolished in all other
UK local authority elections in
1969 and was retained only in the City of London.
A private act of Parliament in 2003
[2] reformed the voting system for electing Members to the Corporation of London and received the
Royal Assent on
7 November 2002. Under the new system, the number of non-resident voters has doubled from 16,000 to 32,000. Previously disfranchised firms (and other organizations) are entitled to nominate voters, in addition to those already represented, and all such bodies are now required to choose their voters in a representative fashion.
Bodies employing fewer than ten people may appoint one voter, those employing ten to fifty people may appoint one voter for every five employees; those employing more than fifty people may appoint ten voters and one additional voter for each fifty employees beyond the first fifty.
The Act also removed other anomalies which had developed over time within the City's system, which had been unchanged since the
1850s.
Proposals for further change
The present system is widely seen as undemocratic, but adopting a more conventional system would place the 9,200 actual residents of the City of London in control of the local planning and other functions of a major financial capital which provides most of its services to hundreds of thousands of non-residents.
Proposals to annex the City of London to one of the neighbouring
London boroughs, possibly the
City of Westminster, have not widely been taken seriously. However, one proposal floated as a possible further reform is to allow those who work in the City to each have a direct individual vote, rather than businesses being represented by appointed voters.
In May
2006, the
Lord Chancellor stated to Parliament that the government was minded to examine the issue of City of London elections at a later date, probably after
2009, in order to assess how the new system has bedded down.
[3]
Other functions
The City has its own independent police force, the
City of London Police. The rest of Greater London is policed by the
Metropolitan Police Service, based at
New Scotland Yard.
The City of London houses one hospital -
St Bartholomew's Hospital. Founded in 1123 and fondly known as 'Barts', the hospital is situated at
Smithfield, London, and is about to undergo a much publicised, controversial but long awaited regeneration.
The City is a major patron of the arts. It oversees the
Barbican Centre and subsidises several important performing arts companies. It also takes an interest in open spaces outside its boundaries: see
Corporation of London open spaces.
Education
The City of London has only one directly-maintained primary school
[4]. The school is called the Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School
[5] (ages 4 to 11). The school is the only state primary school in the City of London and is sited at
Aldgate. It is a voluntary-aided
Church of England school, maintained by the
Education Service of the City of London.
School entrance
City of London residents may send their children to schools in neighbouring
Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
For secondary schools children enrol in schools in neighbouring LEAs, such as
Islington,
Tower Hamlets,
Westminster and
Southwark. Children who have permanent residence in the City are eligible for transfer to the
City of London Academy, an independent secondary school sponsored by the City of London that is located in Southwark.
The City of London controls three other
independent schools. Two are located in the City,
City of London School (all male) and
City of London School for Girls (all female); the third,
City of London Freemen's School (co-educational), is located in
Ashtead,
Surrey. The City of London School for Girls has its own preparatory department for entrance at age seven.
Recreation
A number of gardens are maintained by the City of London. These range through formal gardens such as the one found in
Finsbury Circus (it contains a bowling lawn and bandstand) to churchyards such as one belonging to the church of
St Olave Hart Street which may be entered from Seething Lane.
Gardens etc. include
★
Barber-Surgeon's Hall Garden - London Wall
★
Cleary Garden -
Queen Victoria Street
★
Finsbury Circus -
Blomfeld Street or London Wall or
Moorgate
★
Jubilee Garden -
Houndsditch
★
Portsoken Street Garden -
Portsoken Street or
Goodman's Yard
★
Postman's Park -
Aldersgate or
King Edward Street
★
Seething Lane Garden -
Seething Lane
★
St Dunstan-in-the-East -
St Dunstan's Hill or
Idol Lane
★
St Mary Aldermanbury -
Aldermanbury
★ the churchyard of
St Olave Hart Street -
Seething Lane
★
St Paul's Churchyard -
St Paul's Cathedral
★
West Smithfield Garden -
West Smithfield
★
Whittington Gardens - College Street or
Upper Thames Street
Security
The City's position as the United Kingdom's financial centre and a critical part of the country's economy, contributing about 2.5% of the UK's
gross national product,
[6] has resulted in it becoming a target for political violence. The
Provisional IRA exploded several
bombs in the City in the early 1990s.
The area is also spoken of as a possible target for
al-Qaeda. For instance, when in May 2004 the BBC's ''
Panorama'' programme examined the preparedness of Britain's emergency services for a terrorist attack on the scale of
September 11, 2001 attacks, they simulated a chemical explosion on
Bishopsgate in the east of the City.
See also
City of London's "Ring of Steel" for measures that have been taken against these threats.
References
1. The Competitive Position of London as a Global Financial Centre
2. HMSO ''City of London (Ward Elections) Act 2002 (2002 Chapter vi)''
3.
4. [1]
5. [2]
6. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/media_centre/keyfacts.htm
External links
Dragon statue at
Temple Bar monument, which marks the western most point of the City.
;Official websites
:
★
Corporation of London, the City of London government website
::
★
City of London research publications
:
★
Museum of London
;General city information
:
★
Set I Pictures of London By Jim at SnapGalaxy
:
★
Set II Pictures of London By Jim at SnapGalaxy
:
★
CityMayors.com profile of Corporation
:
★
London, VisitTown.com
:
★
Visiting and Shopping In London
;Maps, photos, and other images
:
★ City of London Corporation:
Ward boundary maps
:
★
MAPCO : Map And Plan Collection Online -
High resolution historic maps of London c1560-1925
:
★
Street map — the boundary is shown in mauve-grey, and is easiest to pick up in the river. Click the arrow on the left for the western and northern most parts of the City of London.
;Discussion forum
:
★
SkyscraperCity.com Detailed discussions on the architecture, history, business and future development of the City. Includes many photographs.
;Historical sources (full-text)
:
★
Calendar of Letter-Books of the CIty of London: the primary document of record for the City's government, 1272-1509. Eleven volumes, part of British History Online.
;World class communications infrastructure
:
★
[3] The Cloud brings WiFi Mesh to London
:
★
[4] London switches on Europe’s most advanced City-wide WiFi network
:
★
[5] Square Mile gets Mesh Wifi
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