What is North London. There are numerous and subjective definitions of the land of my birth and i want to here a consise and definitive one or at least other peoples opinions on what constitutes North London.

The broadest would have it as any part of London north of the Thames.
From Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_London
1) Colloquially North London normally refers to the area that is to the north of Central London but is not considered West or East London.
2) N and NW London postal districts. (Rather similar to definition 1 in practice)

3) That part of London north of the River Thames. (stupid definition IMO- only south londoners would use that).

-I think most people would accept North Weezy as north London or certainly the Boroughs of Camden & barnet at least. Often i hear Northwest & North London used interchangeably by people who live there aswell as people who don't- a key example being the recent twister reports in the news. Various times i heard "There has been a Tornado in Northwest London" or "There has been a tornado in North London". Plus i have seen alot of people on Facebook who have joined various North London groups would appear to be from NW' areas (i.e Camden etc..) aswell. generally a consultation of the map would say most of NW' is quite Northerly from Charing Cross & hence should generally be seen as North London. Also why is'nt there a NE postcode if there a NW one??
also Enfield IS London/ North London. Look at a map of London- London borough of Enfield.
-My personal guess would be the boroughs of Haringey, Enfield, most of Camden, Islington, part of Hackney and maybe even Harrow & Brent. It definitely wouldn't be everything North or the Thames which also includes Central, west & East London.

there isn't an NE postcode in london cos Newcastle took it.

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/pictures/strips/grim_up_north/1175.gif

There used to be NE and S postcodes in London, they were removed in 1866 and 1868 respectively. Newcastle (and Sheffield) didn't get a postcode until a century later.

I consider North London to be North CENTRAL London.

I'm on the Harrow/Hillingdon border and that is extreme North West.

Maybe the lower edges of Brent can be considered North London, Whilst ealing and the lower part of Hillingdon (Heathrow etc) is definitely West London, lol.

I would consider it to be the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Haringey, Camden, Islington and Hackney. But it really depends on what your defining it for.

However, as always Ken is there for a bit of reassurance if you need him:

Central London: Camden, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea, Islington, Southwark, Westminster

East London: Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets

North London: Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest

South London: Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, Wandsworth

West: London Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow

These areas are those defined for the purposes of the London Plan so they are mainly for administration. (hence the city here is classed as east london)

I'd say Camden, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield can be safely classed as North London. - Hackney is debatable , but i would say its in East London

i would class lewisham and greenwich as being in south london

3) That part of London north of the River Thames. (stupid definition IMO- only south londoners would use that).


ah... no.

I live in Greenwich and went to school in Lewisham (boroughs) and its definitely considered as South.

This is how I've always considered it.. (not including overlaps)

North: Camden, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield

South: Greenwich, Lewisham, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Richmond, Kingston, Sutton and Merton.

East: Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

West: Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon.

Central: City, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea.

North Weezee: Barnet, Brent and Harrow.

I agree with last weeks topic.

As a West Londoner born and Bred, North London to me starts at the top ends of: LB Hammersmith & Fulham, RB Kensington & Chelsea, City of Westminster, City of London...East of there it becomes homogeonous due to my ignorance of the area. Basically I follow Harrow Road to Marylebone Road to Euston Road to Pentonville Road to City Road and off into the undiscovered teritiories!

North London possibly occupies the area between the A10 and the A5 with a few overlaps. Hackney and Clapton are East of the A10 and can be safely called East London but Stamford Hill and Tottenham can be safely called North London.

North London possibly occupies the area between the A10 and the A5 with a few overlaps. Hackney and Clapton are East of the A10 and can be safely called East London but Stamford Hill and Tottenham can be safely called North London.

I don't go "norf" mate.

Oh sorry that's "sarf".

You IMO you are pretty much spot on Isaac. You can add Stoke Newington (N16) to North London as that was one of the old boroughs before the GLC was formed in the sixties but now resides in the East London borough of Hackney.
To the north anything with a middlesex postcode is not North London.
To the west I don't know if the real boundary would be the A5 EdGware Rd or perhaps the A41 Finchley Rd.

ah... no.

I live in Greenwich and went to school in Lewisham (boroughs) and its definitely considered as South.

This is how I've always considered it.. (not including overlaps)

North: Camden, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield

South: Greenwich, Lewisham, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Richmond, Kingston, Sutton and Merton.

East: Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

West: Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon.

Central: City, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea.

North Weezee: Barnet, Brent and Harrow.


I get what u mean but I don't think it's quite as simple as that.
Holborn is in Camden yet nobody would call it NW London, it is definitely central. Most people in Havering think they live in Essex.

Interesting that Ken defines Lambeth as central London. To me it is south - as per the list by SE9.

Slightly off topic but does anyone know where the actual geographic centre is? Guess it depends on where the boundaries of the city are defined. Since london seems to sprawl more to the south and East it could even be around the London Bridge area?

For me Oxford Circus 'feels' like the centre though.

My father was a 'Knowledged' Cab driver....he would say it is Charing Cross Station

I think all maps of London are centred on Charing Cross but South London begins immediately when you cross the river.

So using the example of Lambeth. Geographically it is in central London but culturally it is an inner city suburb like Holloway.

Rivers do that sort of thing to a city.

Charing Cross is now used as the centre of London.

London Stone at Cannon Street (the stone is still there!) was originally the center of London.

Look on wikipedia- that defines Charing Cross as the geographical centre of London.

With regard to the eastern border of North London i think Issac & Cabman hit it on the head. Stamford Hill & Stoke Newington (N16) certainly in terms of postcodes at least, mark the edge of North London on that Eastern side. whilst next to them Clapton (E5) and Hackney (E8) seem to mark the beginning of East London. That is the only sort of anomalie really because they are all areas in the "East London borough of Hackney" but generally it seems to me that tag doesnt stop people referring to Stokey & Stamford Hill as North London. further North the boroughs of Enfield & Haringey (North) are seperated from Waltham Forest (East) by the river lee- so there isnt really any ambiguity in that area.

-Regarding the Southern limit i think Pentonville Road in the Southern area of Islington is the limit. Below that the Postal codes change to EC i think and the landscape becomes very Central-ish (if you know what i mean).

-The Western border of North London is the BIG anomalie/ambiguity. Does NW' london class as North London (which a number of people think it does) or is it its own genuine area in its own right (which people also think it is). I was always raised thinking it was North, East, West, South & Central London. that there should be a Northwest randomly thrown in is weird especially when there isnt a North East (perhaps a failing of the postal system). also SW' & SE' are firmly seen as a South London collective- that can't really be argued.
I personally think NW' is generally North London (certainly Camden) although having consulted a map (from which Charing Cross is classed as the Centre of London) i wouldnt be to begrudged to class the very Western areas of North Weszy as West London even.

I think parts of Southwark could definitely be considered "Central London", rather than south. I used to work opposite the Kings Reach Tower, and the addition of the Jubilee Line has massively improved access to the area, not to mention all the new bus routes and other local improvements. Also, I lived in Elephant & Castle, and the towers of the City seemed really close from certain views, as did the London Eye, and I could actually hear the chimes of Big Ben from my house. In fact the City and the West End were easily within walking distance.

Yeah I'm in central London at my house in Lambeth. 15 minute walk to Westminster is definitely central in my book.

I think Northwest London is a place in it's own right. It could possibly include places with Middlesex postcodes such as Wembley and London postcodes such as Neasden and Kilburn. The border between Northwest and West is possibly a little more fluid with the Harrow Road forming a border close to central London and the Western Avenue west of Gypsy Corner.

Yeah I'm in central London at my house in Lambeth. 15 minute walk to Westminster is definitely central in my book.

No you're in south London. Central London does not exist south of the river.

Hoboken is one stop from Manhatten on the PATH subway, yet it is in New Jersey not Manhatten.

South of the river has the same relationship with central London

to me anywhere within zone one is central london. are you trying to suggest that waterloo. london aqaurium, globe theatre, south bank arts complex, bfi imax, the eye, london bridge station and the (future) shard are not in central london..

hmm.. my friend who lives in SE1 considers himself a South Londoner. About the only place south of the Thames which might be considered as 'Central' is the South Bank.

About the Zone 1 argument... as far as I know, London Bridge Station is situated close to 'Borough Market', which is considered a South London market... so does that not make the station a South London one too?
Vauxhall and Elephant & Castle are also in Zone 1, but widely considered as South.

The geographical centre of London is not Charring Cross or Charring Cross Station, but the original site of Charring Cross that is now the site of King Charles I's statue at the top of Whitehall and the southern end of Trafalgar Sq. The knowledge is a six mile radius taken from here.

to me anywhere within zone one is central london. are you trying to suggest that waterloo. london aqaurium, globe theatre, south bank arts complex, bfi imax, the eye, london bridge station and the (future) shard are not in central london..

Yes

The geographical centre of London is not Charring Cross or Charring Cross Station, but the original site of Charring Cross that is now the site of King Charles I's statue at the top of Whitehall and the southern end of Trafalgar Sq. The knowledge is a six mile radius taken from here.

Many thanks ! I have misunderstood what my father meant after all these years...well spell Charing cross correctly if you are so brainy :lol: :)

Many thanks ! I have misunderstood what my father meant after all these years...well spell Charing cross correctly if you are so brainy :lol: :)




How about the cross isn't actually called charing cross (correct spelling this time):tongue: but it is called Eleanor Cross after Eleanor of Castile.

How about the cross isn't actually called charing cross (correct spelling this time):tongue: but it is called Eleanor Cross after Eleanor of Castile.

I thought the cross was an Eleanor Cross as there are a few more such as Waltham Cross, and not the Eleanor Cross ??????

And it's not actually an Eleanor Cross, of which there were several at one time, but a Victorian structure, inspired by the Eleanor Cross that once stood on the current site of King Charles' statue.

No you're in south London. Central London does not exist south of the river.

Hoboken is one stop from Manhatten on the PATH subway, yet it is in New Jersey not Manhatten.

South of the river has the same relationship with central London

I'd disagree. Waterloo and the South Bank can easily be considered central. By merits of the nature of this forum - with such developments as the Shard and Beetham I'm suprised someone would disregard anything, present or in the future, south of the river as not being part of central London.

This said. Lambeth, Southwark etc. are most certainly not "central London" in their entirity but their northern most borders are.

The Camden Town part of Camden I increasingly see becoming part of the cemented idea of what consistutes Central London - doesn't mean the rest of the borough has to be considered that way. Call it 'West End II and a bit of trek' if you like...

Holborn's in Camden - definitely central London, not North. So you can't go by borough boundaries- the South Bank is definitely central London but most of Southwark/Lambeth are South.

Holborn's in Camden - definitely central London, not North. So you can't go by borough boundaries- the South Bank is definitely central London but most of Southwark/Lambeth are South.

Not forgetting the other side of Charring X road and Kings X...

Fuck it, Camden should be considered Central.

Not forgetting the other side of Charring X road and Kings X...

Fuck it, Camden should be considered Central.

But the Northern Parts of the Borough definitely cant be considered central - part of Highgate is in the borough of Camden - there is no way that is central London.

i think postcodes are a good indicator of central london with wc and ec codes being the very centre then e1,se1,sw1,nw1,n1, w1 and e1 as being the outer parts of central london

You shouldn't think in terms of boroughs when considering any location. London has enough districts that cut across boroughs to make geographic definitions easy.

The London Borough of Camden was formed from the old Metropolitan Boroughs of Holborn, St Pancras and Hampstead. Camden Town Hall is the old St Pancras Town Hall. Camden Town itself is in North London. Camden Town Hall is in Central London as is all of Holborn.

How about the cross isn't actually called charing cross (correct spelling this time):tongue: but it is called Eleanor Cross after Eleanor of Castile.


No I didnt know the name, but I do recall the story of a Queen (presumably Eleanor) who died. The king travelled with her body to London and everywhere they stopped for the night, they built a cross...hence there are a number of them. I think between us and Isaac N we are getting a complete picture here :)

hello dunno why this is in projects & construction but anyway.
Im a londoner born & bread so i realy dunno what the question is here? N London is North of the river.S London is south of the river. End of debate. N W or S E or whatever,is usually decided by the post code but can be up to the individuals own snobbery or street cred.
The usual borders between central & north is euston rd, central & east is aldgate, central & west is queensway.Nothing south of the river is considered to be central EG the tate modern is on the south bank

hello dunno why this is in projects & construction but anyway.
Im a londoner born & bread so i realy dunno what the question is here? N London is North of the river.S London is south of the river. End of debate. N W or S E or whatever,is usually decided by the post code but can be up to the individuals own snobbery or street cred.
The usual borders between central & north is euston rd, central & east is aldgate, central & west is queensway.Nothing south of the river is considered to be central EG the tate modern is on the south bank

I sort of understand..but

If I was living in Kensington or Westminster I would be in Central London, not north London. If you asked anyone living there what area were they in, tehy would say central...not north. Thats my understanding of this debate and yes...I dont know why this thread is under P&C either? :)

South London is being greedy (territorially speaking).

-considering the fact that Northern & Southern London are roughly the same size (with the part North of the river slightly bigger) surely you would think some of Central London aswell as West & East London would be extended below the Thames- thus resulting in all 4 areas being of rough parity with eachother. However as it is South London is the entirety of London South of the Thames and it is hence geographically/demographically much bigger than North, East & West individually-speaking.
UNFAIR!!
http://www.stayxs.com/uk/images/london-map.jpg!!!!

Give the Northern half Bexley & Greenwich to East London. Give ALL Richmond to West London. then Waltham Forest & ALL of Hackney to North London & a small swathe of Northern Lambeth & Southwark to Central London. DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sort of understand..but

If I was living in Kensington or Westminster I would be in Central London, not north London. If you asked anyone living there what area were they in, tehy would say central...not north. Thats my understanding of this debate and yes...I dont know why this thread is under P&C either? :)

I think we'll find westminister fits in with the borders above.
westminister is south of euston rd,west of aldgate & east of queensway so no probs there.(i aint got a map near but i got a feeling that victoria is too far west to fit in.And maybe worlds end also...damn...my whole world is unravelling)
Kensington is south of euston rd east of aldgate & not quite east of queensway.Some folk use kensington church st as there central/west border rather than queensway so you have found a grey area.But if KCS is used as that border then kensington is central.But then so does big chunks of notting hill, so...!
My solution for those who know the area is that the border is KCS,cent/west then bayswater road cent/nth till queensway, cent/west again

South London is being greedy (territorially speaking).

-considering the fact that Northern & Southern London are roughly the same size (with the part North of the river slightly bigger) surely you would think some of Central London aswell as West & East London would be extended below the Thames- thus resulting in all 4 areas being of rough parity with eachother. However as it is South London is the entirety of London South of the Thames and it is hence geographically/demographically much bigger than North, East & West individually-speaking.
UNFAIR!!
http://www.stayxs.com/uk/images/london-map.jpg!!!!

Give the Northern half Bexley & Greenwich to East London. Give ALL Richmond to West London. then Waltham Forest & ALL of Hackney to North London & a small swathe of Northern Lambeth & Southwark to Central London. DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That's because South London can be further divided into South East and South West.

here is how i would define it - just based on what i feel ;)

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l139/nothingbettertodo_2006/london.jpg

This is what i say!!!

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p228/Girardo2006/legend/LondonMap3.gif

North London rules!!

North London rules!!


ZOOP! ZOOP! ZOOP!

What about the Isle of Dogs? Many people consider it South rather than North (in N/S, not NESW) even though it's technically north of the river.

What about the Isle of Dogs? Many people consider it South rather than North (in N/S, not NESW) even though it's technically north of the river.

Errr thats just dumb!!!
A) its North of the river
B) it has an E' postcode & in colloquially referred to East London.
all in all i don't think it is South London :lol:

Here's an idea - all you London forumers say where you live and what description you think it should have, and some clever person can mark a map with different colours for North, South etc....

http://golondon.about.com/od/planningyourtrip/a/geography.htm

Good article.

I agree with NBTD's map :D

North London home of the brave, home of the Grime-ist Ghetto raves:banana: :banana:

North London home of the brave, home of the Grime-ist Ghetto raves:banana: :banana:

We all know that North London is the wealthiest region outside the Centre ;)

Grimey = South

you still get kids who live in leafy Pinner and think they are deprived ghetto dwellers.

I always just see it as North or South of the river. Too simplistic maybe?

How SE9 sees London:

I split London into:

North
South (which is made up of South West and South East London)
East
West
North-West (which can also be classed as North)
Central

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/6057/endzmy0.jpg

But how can you have a North West, but not a North East?

The areas that would make up North-East London (Walthamstow etc.) are considered as East London.

The areas that make up North-West London (Harlesden etc.) are considered as North-West London.

I agree with NBTD's map :D

I do too.

I lived in Canary Wharf/Isle of Dogs, definitely East London.
I worked in Parsons Green/Fulham. I'm inclined to say it feels more like West rather than SW London, though its post code is SW.

But how can you have a North West, but not a North East?

Here's another map in which I've dissolved North-West, just to make it clearer:

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/6720/sen1gl9.jpg


Annotations (ie differences between mine and NBTD's map)

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/706/londonmapyo7.jpg

North should include a chunk of Waltham forest aswell as the rest of Hackney with the already included N16,N4,N1.


This is how it should be

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7256/londonmapnw0.gif (http://imageshack.us)

But with Merton n kingston still in southwest, westminster n kensingon n chelsea 'west' or 'west central'

Here's another map in which I've dissolved North-West, just to make it clearer:

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/6720/sen1gl9.jpg


Annotations (ie differences between mine and NBTD's map)

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/706/londonmapyo7.jpg

well my map was done in about 2 secs on a whim.

I should say that when it comes to fulham and the surrounding areas, they are meant to be in west london, i just didnt trace the thames properly is all.

And when it comes to elphant and castle etc....i was basically trying to suggest that i think the South bank is part of central london - but no further south.

And with Greenwich and Bexley, i'd say they were more South East, with similar history to the East end, close to the thames, sharing the docks etc.

;) :okay: