If you have ever visited London chances are that you have visited two cities. In the center of London there is a second city with it’s own city hall, mayor, even laws and regulations.
The name of this city is something as creative as City of London. City of London is therefore the city within London, but it’s not the same city. Next to the city is City of Westminster, which is not a separate city, but a borough in London. Confused? Around 1 square mile covers the whole city, comprised mainly of business areas and Tower of London. There is around 7345 people living here (in 2011), while around 347 000 come to work here every day.
As a separate city it has marked its borders with both name and coat of arms. If you have ever been to London you might not have noticed this, but once you are aware, these crests show up “everywhere”.
If you have noticed these signs then you might have noticed the signs saying City of Westminster as well. All logic suggests that this would also be a “hidden” city inside London, but we are after all talking about Brits here, the people with arguably the most confusing concepts of governance and land areas. Long story sort the city named Westminster was built next to City of London where Westminster is located today (Big Ben, Parlament, Westminster Abbey and all of that). The city grew in size and became at some point what we know as London today. Since people were used to call the whole area London they decided to change the name from Westminster to London. But the area named City of Westminster today is only a London borough.
Back to City of London, what can you actually do here? A lot! Tower of London is probably the most famous tourist attraction, where one can among others see the crown jewels. Tower Bridge also belongs to City of London even though it is located in London; City of London owns and controls land areas and buildings outside their borders. Within the city itself one can find other attractions such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Museum of London and Gherkin (the building that looks like an egg). It is also possible to see the city hall, which is not special in itself, but it houses the mayor. While the London mayor has to settle for the title Mayor of London, the City of London mayor can enjoy the amazing title of The Right Honourable, The Lord Mayor of London. You couldn’t even make that up if you tried, could you?
Does this practically make a difference at all when you visit London? Short answer: No. However, it is interesting to notice all the signs and crests showing the separation between the two cities, not to mention the ability to be a know-it-all person who can correct people when they say that you are in London when you in fact are in City of London.
