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How to interpret the "City"?
the eastward expansion of the City of London
Here, does the City refer to the 1 square kilometer financial city of London or the whole city of London that stretches hundreds of miles?
The City of London is the original heart of London itself, the one which developed from the Roman settlement called by them Londinium. The Romans built a wall around this settlement back in the first century AD soon after the invasion of Britain. That wall can still be seen today in parts and is now officially called London Wall. Other relics of the Roman settlement can still be seen around The City. Close to London Wall is the Museum of London where you can see excavations of the original Roman defences and buildings, along with many other exhibits and information of the development of the old City area.
The City of London remained independent from the rest of the Metropolis, and even has it's own Mayor and Corporation, and also it's own separate Police Force, the City of London Police, responsible for The Square Mile. The rest of London spreads out for miles in all directions from The City, and contains 32 boroughs for administrative purposes, each one having an average polulation of about 380,000 people. The nightime population of The City is about 5,000 and a daytime population of about 350,000. The Metropolitan Police is responsible for all of London outside The City. The City of London is the world's largest banking and financial centre. By day it is a bustling throng and most retail establishments are restaurants, cafes, bistros, wine bars, pubs, tapas bars, book shops, newspaper shops, and tourist shops and similar. By night and at weekends they are mostly closed and the City of London is practically deserted apart from passing traffic and strolling tourists. You know when you are entering The City of London when you see the emblem of the City on all the street signs, like when you come to Temple Bar and the Strand becomes Fleet Street, at the junction with Chancery Lane, just beyond the Royal Courts of Justice. Oh - and the police officers wear a different style uniform with a different helmet. A good day out with plenty to see is the annual Lord Mayor's Show each November, with a fantastic parade through the streets of The City, with the current Mayor of London and consort taking pride of place. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/business_city/ http://www.londontourist.org/city.html The City of London is the original heart of London itself, the one which developed from the Roman settlement called by them Londinium. The Romans built a wall around this settlement back in the first century AD soon after the invasion of Britain. That wall can still be seen today in parts and is now officially called London Wall. Other relics of the Roman settlement can still be seen around The City. Close to London Wall is the Museum of London where you can see excavations of the original Roman defences and buildings, along with many other exhibits and information of the development of the old City area. The City of London remained independent from the rest of the Metropolis, and even has it's own Mayor and Corporation, and also it's own separate Police Force, the City of London Police, responsible for The Square Mile. The rest of London spreads out for miles in all directions from The City, and contains 32 boroughs for administrative purposes, each one having an average polulation of about 380,000 people. The nightime population of The City is about 5,000 and a daytime population of about 350,000. The Metropolitan Police is responsible for all of London outside The City. The City of London is the world's largest banking and financial centre. By day it is a bustling throng and most retail establishments are restaurants, cafes, bistros, wine bars, pubs, tapas bars, book shops, newspaper shops, and tourist shops and similar. By night and at weekends they are mostly closed and the City of London is practically deserted apart from passing traffic and strolling tourists. You know when you are entering The City of London when you see the emblem of the City on all the street signs, like when you come to Temple Bar and the Strand becomes Fleet Street, at the junction with Chancery Lane, just beyond the Royal Courts of Justice. Oh - and the police officers wear a different style uniform with a different helmet. A good day out with plenty to see is the annual Lord Mayor's Show each November, with a fantastic parade through the streets of The City, with the current Mayor of London and consort taking pride of place. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/business_city/ http://www.londontourist.org/city.html http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/ http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/visitors/procession Putting in a word for Scotland - we have our own equivalent of the Lord Mayor's Show here in Edinburgh, only the Scottish word for a Lord Mayor is the Lord Provost.
Damian, you seem to know your onions mate. It is something that I have found confusing. I say I work in the 'city' but in fact thought it was actually only the square mile portion of the city of London. A friend of mine works in Regent Street which is in London, London is a city but he never says he works in the city. I'd say he did work in the city as well but he would insist he didn’t, neither of us had the answer so we remained none the wiser - until now. I get it; London despite being a city is not the city of London!! Your excellent post has made it a tad clearer - I think I can work out what the city of Westminster is now.
I work in Mansell St which I imagine to be a good 2 miles from Temple, yet Temple falls within the city of London or the square mile. Is the square mile basically an outdated boundary?? Maybe I have my distances muddled up. I wonder exactly where this boundary is? Ah, time for good ole Google me thinks. Oh, while we are the subject I have to say that sadly during even my few short years the 'City' has changed rapidly. Lovely old buildings are being knockdown in favour of far more soulless modern office blocks (it is amazing there are still any old buildings left). I suppose it does make sense, these old buildings do not make use of the space and in London space is a premium. These old buildings are also not conducive to modern office life due to a lack of modern planning, facilities etc - not good for attracting business. It is a shame though and sadly thanks to that #@*! Ken Livingstone and his apparent tower crazed lust, it is going to get much much worse - if you thought the 'Gherkin' was bad just wait until you see what he has lined up next. London’s historic skyline and character - although already greatly altered will be changed for ever. I hope lovely Edinburgh does not go the same way. Ok as ever I have gone of the topic, I'm sorry – its lunch time and I’m bored.
Pub Lunch:
I'm still on an extended Easter holiday - time due to me :-) I adore London - love it to bits and everything it has to offer, especially the fun and nightlife, but studying it by day is almost as exciting and i thoroughly enjoyed working and carousing down there last year. I am essentially a city bloke - I want everything on demand close to hand, easy access, hop on a bus on buses that run the same route every 5 or 6 minutes 24/7 - I feel exposed and vulnerable in wide open countryside. Actually the boundaries of The City proper are quite clearly defined, all the way up from the boundary post on the Embankment close to Temple, up Chancery Lane, along Holborn, past the Barbican, Broadgate, Liverpool Street and down along Middlesex Street, Minories and down to the Tower. Map of the City boundary in link below - it's not too clear but at least identifiable on a large scale map of the City of London and immediate surroundings. The Square Mile is "outdated" only in the sense of it being the original area occupied by the Roman Londinium, which as I said was bounded by the Lodon Wall, much as many other Roman settlements across the country. Some, like York and Chester especially, are still very much as they were 2000 years ago, but London Wall has been affected by massive development over the centuries, plus the devastation caused by WW1 aerial attacks and the much more intense bombing destruction during the WW2 blitzes. An amazing thing is this - St Paul's Cathedral. It STILL stands out clearly on the City skyline with its massive dome, illuminated in splendour at night in spite of all the skyscrapers and huge modern office blocks all around it. Viewed at night looking eastwards from either Westminster, Charing Cross or Waterloo bridges the view of, and towards, The City is breathtaking. The only blot is the weird looking Gherkin! http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/maps/ The City of Westminster street plates all contain that name above the street/square/circus name etc, whereas all the City of London plates have the Corporation of the City of London crest above the name. You in Mansell Street are just outside The City area, with an E1 postcode and part of Whitechapel, which is intersting in itself historically, being the scene of a couple of Jack the Ripper's activities :-) Don't worry about being "off topic" We can only be bollocked or have this thread unceremoniously deleted, but what the heck :-) Like you, I have some time on my hands this afternoon, and I'm in a London mood....but I still prefer living in Edinburgh, and no - it has not gone the same way as Edinburgh as our beautiful historic cityscape is very jealously guarded - all tower blocks are in the suburbs. But if an offer of working in London again even on a permanent basis was truly worth my while in every way I'd head down to Kings Cross in a heartbeat.
The actual City of London is tiny - just 1 sq mile.
The City of London is a geographically-small city within Greater London, England. The City of London 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 now 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 (as distinct from the nearby but then-separate village of Westminster, which became the City of Westminster), but 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 of 311,000. The City itself has two independent enclaves within it — Inner Temple and Middle Temple. These two areas 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". London and the City of London have two different mayors. The Mayor of London is Ken Livingstone and the Mayor od the City of London is John Stuttard. Area - City 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km²) Population (2005 est) - City 9,200 - Density 8,215.4/sq mi (3,172/km²) - Ethnicity 84.4% White 68.3% British 12.8% non-British 3.3% Irish 6.8% South Asian 2.6% African-Caribbean 2.0% Chinese 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 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.
<<I'm still on an extended Easter holiday - time due to me :-) >>
Jammy git!! <<I'd head down to Kings Cross in a heartbeat.>> Haa haaa!!! (if that means what I think that means) Thanks for the map geezer, Blimey!!! Mansell St is not even in the city then!! Geezer I have been lying all this time!! Actually it is weird, I can walk out of the office surrounded by all the yuppies and the buzz of the city and literally a few hundred metres away and I am in one of the most ethnic areas in Britain. The contrast in the environment considering I have literally crossed the road is unbelievable. I still am amazed that it is basically 1 mile or less from Mansell Street to Temple. Yep, Jack the Ripper country indeed. I am just by Middlesex St and St Botolphs church which apparently played their role in that crime spree (I think a murder occurred in Middlesex St and the church is where the brasses (prostitutes) would frequent and get picked off). Spooky stuff. As you said there are still remnants of the (2000 years old??) wall, in fact just by Fenchurch St there is a section that is just plonked outside the station and free to be subjected to abuse (not that I am getting all sentimental about a wall, but I see people literally pissing up it all the time amongst other things, I would have imagined, considering the age and historical significance it would be looked after). The blitz of World War 2 did sadly obliterate some serious architectural gems (not that I know my architecture) but I think post war modernisation is definitely the bigger culprit. I agree, I think London is a stunning city but I can only imagine how even more amazing it must have been. Sooo sad. You hate the Gherkin? Join the club mate, as I said, sadly there are not just one but many much bigger blights on that historical skyline on the way. I have no problem with modern architecture but the need for skyscrapers in the middle of London? Hmmnn, that's why we have the Docklands isn't it? Glad to hear no such plans are intended for Edinburgh. I have been there only once and I have to say WOW!! Edinburgh is well underrated. I didn't spend long there sadly but I did walk around the Royal Mile, Princes Park (I think that was the name) and Holyrood Park (I climbed a crag (what is a crag?) and the view of the city was simply jaw dropping to put it mildly, I’d love to go back one day. You are spot on regarding the view from Waterloo Bridge, bloody hell man what views!!!! So many landmarks from one vantage point (even the docklands), surely the best view in London. St Paul’s - wow what a sight!! It is amazing close up or far away, but neither is a patch on how amazing it is inside. How the hell that did not come down during the Blitz?? A miracle. Never been to York or Chester but both are on the list. I recently ticked off the city of Bath - very very nice. Ok man, have a nice evening. Oh, Adam that is also a excellent post mate. The ethnicity of London is 84.4% white?? That surprises me. I wonder what that John Stuttard bloke gets up to??
I worked in "the city" until February this year. I worked in Leadenhall Street. (Not far from the Bank of England) I always considered "the city" to be the financial district of London.
Yes, thank God for Docklands and Canary Wharf for all the "upward" skyline movement - nobody gives a toss about that area of London looking more like a New World city even though the City does in places - Nat West Tower and others in the Bishopsgate area. I was working down at Canary Wharf last year - the Docklands Light Railway extension of the Tube is great and made the rush hour tube journey twice a day from and back to East Finchley a joy. Docklands is also now one of London's most exclusive residential locations in salubrious surroundings after one mega mammoth transformation from the docks and industrial areas of the past, but you'd have to be earning a pretty substantial screw to live around there. London prices are astronomical - I needed my special London allowance come salary day. :-)
The way St Paul's escaped destruction, or even major damage, during the WW2 Blitz was at the time, and still is, considered a true miracle. The obvious conclusion was that "God was on our side" on the night of 29 December 1940, according to the history books. The whole area around the huge Wren cathedral, including the medieval Paternoster Row and priceless architectural treasures, was totally flattened by the bombing but St Paul's stood defiant and majestic above the huge conflagration. See the huge framed photograph just inside the main west entrance to the cathedral. London Wall was built around the year 200AD so it's over 1,800 years old. As for "defiling" the London Wall in the way you described, if you look around the area you will see loads of pubs and wine bars so with people going out and then getting caught short it sort of happens. :-) http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/wklondonwallroute.htm Actually, Guest, we in Edinburgh don't consider the city to be underrated, to be honest with you. We're pretty high profile judging by all the people who flock here fom all over the globe. The Royal Mile runs all the way down to Holyroood - site of the royal palace and also the Scottish Parliament. It's the Princes Street Gardens in the city centre (Hogmanay sees the world's largest street party in that location) and the crags you referred to are the Salisbury Crags - great for practising serious rock climbing. The views you described are from the top of Arthur's Seat. Andy: You're right - the two words "the City" simply means finance, banking and commerce generally. Another gorgeous day - enjoy!
Damian, which happy pills do you take? Please recommend me some. I want to be happy 365 days a year just like you do. I am 10% happy only and 90% down. Can I borrow your soul for a day if you can not recommend me some pills? BTW, Can I use this :-) in my post?
Guest: Happiness is a state of mind brought about by positive thinking and an awareness that we each only have one life with no replay - no pills necessary and none taken. I prefer a Belhaven instead - or two - or three.... Feel free to use at will. Nevertheless "down days" are part of the course - just deal with them. Give an award to the guy who invented weekends and who can possibly be "down" in this delightful British (Scottish version) spring cum early summer weather?
Talking of the City - "Oh, he's something big in the City" - meaning a reference to some bloke who has some kind of high-powered job in finance and commutes each day up to the City from his domicile in a leafy garden suburb or some such place. This phrase can also be intended to be a wee bit derogative. :-) Personally I got more of a kick out of the historical connections of the City when wandering through it's maze of streets and squares and concrete canyons rather than the commercial high finance aspects of the Square Mile. Having a drink and a spiffing lunch in a cosy oak beamed pub once frequented by Samuel Pepys or Charles Dickens is much more exciting than gawping at the majesty of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street or the Nat West Tower scraping the clouds above. Feel free to borrow my soul on this gorgeous day as long as it raises your spirits if only a wee bit - just let me have it back when you've finished with it, please. Cheers. |