File:Bank_junction_-_2020-09-20_(2).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
City of London
Also known as the City, Square Mile, City and County of the City of London, City of London (unparished area)
city, ceremonial county and local government district containing the historic centre and the primary central business district in the London Region in England, UK
AI overview
The City of London is a small district within London that contains both the historic medieval center of the city and its main financial and business hub. It functions as a ceremonial county and local government area that remains economically and culturally significant to London and the broader UK economy.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Weather now
cached 18h ago12°overcast clouds
74% 0.5 m/s OpenWeatherMap
7-day forecast
via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- City of London
- Region
- England
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Population
- 8,072
Travel guide
Understand
thumb|City of London, seen from Tower Bridge
Although Greater London grew from this area, the official City of London itself has barely changed its borders in centuries and still follows the line of the old city walls to a great degree. The walls around the city, built by the Romans, have largely disappeared but several vestiges are still visible such as outside the old Museum of London, just near the Tower of London, and running part of the way down Noble Street. Various place names and streets hint at their prior existence, while locations such as Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Ludgate and Moorgate are the sites of old gates in the city walls.
thumb|right|150px|A dragon marking the boundary of the City
The City of London is not a London borough (laws applying to London must define the city as "all London boroughs and the City of London") and has an ancient and unusual local governance, with rights and privileges greater than those of anywhere else in the United Kingdom. The local authority is the City of London Corporation and the chief position is the Lord Mayor. Whilst the rest of London has the Metropolitan Police, the City of London has its own police force.
The City of London does not include Tower Bridge or the Tower of London – they are just over the border in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. However, Tower Bridge is owned and operated by the City Corporation and both are part of a standard sightseeing tour of the City. A number of bridges over the River Thames connec…
Get around
As with the rest of central London, the City is served by a dense network of underground lines and bus routes. The tube lines that run through the City are the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern Lines as well as the Docklands Light Railway. Bus route 15 has some of its route in the City. You can ride aboard a double-decker bus from the Tower of London, west to St Paul's Cathedral, and then down Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street towards the West End, where the route terminates at Trafalgar Square. This can be a very rewarding way to see the City, as the route passes a number of sites of interest. This service functions as a shorter version of the standard bus route 15 and the usual TfL fares are used on it.
However, since the City is only around a square mile in area, it is often quicker, easier and cheaper to walk. The Thames Path passes through the City, following the River Thames from the Temple in the west to the Tower of London in the east. A particularly unique way to get around the City is the City of London Pedway Scheme. In the years following the Blitz, several pedestrian walkways were routed around the City to help reduce the number of pedestrians making crossings at grade with cars (though often to the benefit of the car, rather than the pedestrian). While the scheme was ended in the 1980s, many of the Pedways remain and provide an interesting perspective on the City.
~40 min read
Article
The City of London (informally known as the City or the Square Mile) is a city, ceremonial county and local government district in England. Established by the Romans around 47 AD as Londinium, it forms the historic centre of the wider London metropolis. Surrounded by the modern ceremonial county of Greater London, from which it remains separate, the City is a unique local authority area governed by the City of London Corporation, which is led by the Lord Mayor of London, though it is included as part of the region of England governed by the Greater London Authority (which shares local government powers in the region with the councils of 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation).
Nicknamed the Square Mile, the City of London has an area of 1.12 sq mi (716.80 acres; 2.90 km), making it the smallest city in the United Kingdom by area. It had a population of 8,583 at the 2021 census; however, over 500,000 people were employed in the area as of 2019.
Gallery (12)
On the map
Connections
Categories
886 establishments9th-century establishments in EnglandCentral business districts in the United KingdomCities in LondonCity of LondonCounties of England established in antiquityEconomy of LondonFinancial districtsFinancial districts in the United KingdomGreater LondonLocal authorities adjoining the River ThamesLocal government in London