People and Places
London’s boroughs and the City of London
Explore London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, then open a place to learn more about it.
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London’s boroughs and the City
Profiles reviewed 2026-09-16
These introductions cover whole boroughs, not neighbourhood boundaries.
This London reference is independent of the interactive filters above. Scroll across on smaller screens.
| Borough / City | Introduction |
|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | Barking and Dagenham brings together communities on London's eastern side, with a Thames frontage and a long industrial identity. The modern borough was created in 1965 from most of the former boroughs of Barking and Dagenham. Originally named the London Borough of Barking, it adopted its present name in 1980, recognising both of the places that shaped its development. |
| Barnet | Barnet occupies a broad stretch of north London, bringing together districts with distinct suburban centres and older village identities. It was formed in 1965 by combining Hendon, Finchley, Barnet, East Barnet and Friern Barnet, drawing land from both Middlesex and Hertfordshire. That merger helps explain why the borough has several recognisable centres rather than one single historic town at its heart. |
| Bexley | Bexley lies in south-east London, with neighbourhoods extending towards the Thames and the Kent border. The borough was established in 1965 from Bexley, Erith, Crayford and the Sidcup part of Chislehurst and Sidcup. Its modern identity therefore combines several former Kent towns, with riverside communities and suburban districts brought under one London council. |
| Brent | Brent is a north-west London borough whose landmarks include Wembley Stadium, the Neasden temple and the Welsh Harp reservoir. It was created in 1965 by joining the former boroughs of Wembley and Willesden. Its name comes from the River Brent, which had separated the two areas, giving the new borough a shared geographical identity rather than the name of just one predecessor. |
| Bromley | Bromley stretches across south-east London, combining built-up centres such as Bromley, Beckenham and Orpington with a more rural southern landscape. It is London's largest borough by area. Created in 1965, it brought together Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington, Penge and the Chislehurst part of Chislehurst and Sidcup, transferring these former Kent communities into Greater London. |
| Camden | Camden runs from central London's cultural and commercial districts through Camden Town and Kentish Town to the open landscape around Hampstead Heath. It was formed in 1965 from Hampstead, Holborn and St Pancras. Those different origins remain visible in a borough that combines major cultural institutions, busy markets and neighbourhood centres with quieter residential areas in the north. |
| City of London | The City of London is the historic core around which the wider capital developed, with origins in Roman Londinium in the first century. Often called the Square Mile, it remains a distinct local-government area administered by the City of London Corporation. Unlike the 32 London boroughs, it was not created in the 1965 reorganisation; its separate civic identity has much deeper roots. |
| Croydon | Croydon occupies a large part of south London, with Croydon town at its centre and communities extending south towards Coulsdon and Purley. The modern borough was formed in 1965 by combining the former County Borough of Croydon with Coulsdon and Purley Urban District. It brings together an established urban centre and neighbouring suburban districts formerly within Surrey. |
| Ealing | Ealing is a west London borough that brings together places including Acton, Ealing, Southall, Hanwell, Greenford, Northolt and Perivale. The modern council area was created in 1965 from the former boroughs of Ealing, Acton and Southall. Its history is therefore one of several distinct Middlesex communities becoming part of a single London borough while retaining their local identities. |
| Enfield | Enfield sits on London's northern edge, combining the historic centres of Enfield, Edmonton and Southgate. Those three former Middlesex boroughs were brought together in 1965 to create the present London borough. Their separate histories continue to give the area a varied character, from established town centres and residential neighbourhoods to the landscapes at the capital's outer boundary. |
| Greenwich | Greenwich lies on the south side of the Thames in south-east London and brings together places with strong riverside identities. The modern borough was created in 1965 from Greenwich and most of Woolwich; North Woolwich, across the river, became part of Newham. The resulting area connects two historic centres within a single borough while preserving their distinct names and neighbourhoods. |
| Hackney | Hackney is an inner east London borough bringing together Hackney, Stoke Newington and Shoreditch. These three metropolitan boroughs merged in 1965 to form the present council area. Its administrative history helps explain the range of local identities within it: the borough's name describes the whole area, but neighbourhoods such as Shoreditch and Stoke Newington retain strong identities of their own. |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Hammersmith and Fulham occupies part of west London beside the Thames. The two former metropolitan boroughs were merged in 1965, initially under the name Hammersmith. The council area became Hammersmith and Fulham in 1979, making both historic centres explicit in its name. Their individual identities remain an important part of how residents describe the borough today. |
| Haringey | Haringey lies in north London and includes the historic centres of Hornsey, Tottenham and Wood Green, as well as the landmark of Alexandra Palace. The borough was created in 1965 by merging those three former Middlesex boroughs. Its name revived an older form of Hornsey, giving a common identity to places with their own long-established local histories. |
| Harrow | Harrow is a north-west London borough encompassing Harrow, Pinner and Stanmore, with parts of Edgware and Sudbury. It became a London borough in 1965 when its existing municipal borough transferred from Middlesex into Greater London. Unusually, it entered that reorganisation without merging with another district, retaining boundaries established in 1934, although later adjustments have been made. |
| Havering | Havering lies on London's eastern side and brings together the former local-government areas of Romford and Hornchurch. The borough was created in 1965 when those areas moved from Essex into Greater London. Its modern identity is built around several established communities rather than a single settlement, with the older names of Romford and Hornchurch remaining prominent in everyday use. |
| Hillingdon | Hillingdon forms London's western edge, with places including Uxbridge, Hayes and Ruislip, and Heathrow Airport in the south. It was created in 1965 from Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, and Yiewsley and West Drayton. These former Middlesex districts brought together a wide range of town centres and suburban communities within one large London borough. |
| Hounslow | Hounslow stretches across west London, bringing together communities including Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth and Feltham. The borough was created in 1965 from Brentford and Chiswick, Heston and Isleworth, and Feltham. Its name came from the town of Hounslow, while the larger council area preserved the identities of the other former Middlesex communities brought into it. |
| Islington | Islington is an inner north London borough combining the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. Their merger in 1965 created the present council area. Its history is reflected in the survival of both names and in the variety of neighbourhood identities within a compact part of the capital, stretching from areas close to central London towards its northern residential districts. |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Kensington and Chelsea is an inner west London borough formed in 1965 by joining the metropolitan boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. The new borough retained the royal status previously associated with Kensington. Its combined name preserves the identity of both historic areas, a useful reminder that the modern council boundary encompasses communities with separate civic histories. |
| Kingston upon Thames | Kingston upon Thames is a south-west London borough centred on the historic riverside town of Kingston. The modern borough was created in 1965 from Kingston, Malden and Coombe, and Surbiton, transferring these former Surrey districts into Greater London. It carried forward Kingston's royal borough status while bringing neighbouring suburban communities within the same council area. |
| Lambeth | Lambeth stretches through south London, including Waterloo, Vauxhall and Brixton and extending towards Streatham. The modern borough was created in 1965 from the old Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth together with Clapham and Streatham, which had previously belonged to Wandsworth. That change substantially reshaped the borough and helps explain the mix of historic neighbourhood identities within today's boundary. |
| Lewisham | Lewisham is a south-east London borough whose modern boundaries bring together the former metropolitan boroughs of Lewisham and Deptford. Their merger in 1965 joined communities with distinct local histories, while Catford became the administrative centre. The borough's identity still reflects those separate places, with Lewisham, Deptford and Catford remaining important names in its everyday geography. |
| Merton | Merton is a south-west London borough bringing together Wimbledon, Mitcham, Morden and neighbouring communities. It was established in 1965 from the former boroughs of Wimbledon and Mitcham and the urban district of Merton and Morden. The merger transferred these Surrey districts into Greater London, creating a council area whose familiar town and neighbourhood names continue to reflect its earlier history. |
| Newham | Newham lies north of the Thames in east London and includes Stratford, East Ham, West Ham and the Royal Docks area. Created in 1965, it joined East Ham and West Ham with North Woolwich and a small part of Barking. Its more recent history includes its role as a host borough for the 2012 Olympics and the development of the Olympic Park around Stratford. |
| Redbridge | Redbridge is a north-east London borough whose principal centres include Ilford, Wanstead and Woodford. It was formed in 1965 from Ilford and Wanstead and Woodford, with smaller areas from Dagenham and Chigwell. The name recalls a red-brick bridge over the River Roding, linking the modern borough's identity to a much older feature of the local landscape. |
| Richmond upon Thames | Richmond upon Thames is a south-west London borough extending across both banks of the river. It was created in 1965 from Richmond and Barnes, previously in Surrey, and Twickenham, previously in Middlesex. That merger made it the only London borough straddling the Thames, joining riverside communities whose histories had previously been divided by both the river and county boundaries. |
| Southwark | Southwark lies south of the Thames, opposite the historic City of London, and includes communities such as Bermondsey and Camberwell. The present borough was created in 1965 by merging Southwark, Bermondsey and Camberwell. Its name therefore covers a wider area than historic Southwark alone, bringing several established parts of south London under one council while preserving their distinct neighbourhood identities. |
| Sutton | Sutton is a south London borough combining Sutton, Cheam, Carshalton, Beddington and Wallington. It was created in 1965 by merging Sutton and Cheam, Carshalton, and Beddington and Wallington. These former Surrey districts became part of Greater London together, and their older names remain useful guides to the different communities and local histories within the modern borough. |
| Tower Hamlets | Tower Hamlets occupies part of London's East End, bringing together Bethnal Green, Stepney and Poplar. Those metropolitan boroughs merged in 1965. The name has older roots in the Tower Division, an area historically associated with duties to the Tower of London. The modern borough connects that civic inheritance with neighbourhoods shaped by the East End and its riverside districts. |
| Waltham Forest | Waltham Forest lies in north-east London and brings together Chingford, Walthamstow and Leyton. The modern borough was formed in 1965 from those three former Essex boroughs, transferring them into Greater London. Its name recalls the area's historic forest landscape, while its constituent towns continue to provide recognisable local identities within the wider council area. |
| Wandsworth | Wandsworth lies in south-west London on the south side of the Thames, encompassing communities including Battersea and Wandsworth itself. The modern borough was formed in 1965 by combining Battersea with most of the former Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth. Clapham and Streatham were transferred to Lambeth, so the older Wandsworth administrative area was different from the borough shown on today's map. |
| Westminster | Westminster combines the historic seat of national government with much of London's West End and residential districts farther north. The modern City of Westminster was formed in 1965 from Westminster, Paddington and St Marylebone. Its present boundary therefore unites several earlier civic areas, while the names of those places continue to shape the way this central part of London is understood. |
The five coloured areas help you navigate the city; they are not another tier of local government.
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