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The City of Westminster is a borough
London borough

The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London....
 of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 with city status
City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
. It is located west of the City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 and north of the River Thames
River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
, and forms part of Inner London
Inner London

Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time....
 and the bulk of London's central area.

The city contains most of London's West End
West End of London

The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres....
 and is the seat of the United Kingdom's government, with the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet....
, Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction....
, Whitehall
Whitehall

Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Charing Cross, now at the southern end of Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of Charles I of England, which is often regarded as the heart of London....
, and the Royal Courts of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice

The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is the building in London which houses Court of Appeal of England and Wales and High Court of Justice of England and Wales....
.

In 1965 the London borough was created from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone
Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone

The Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone was a metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was based directly on the previously existing civil parish of St Marylebone, which was incorporated into the Metropolitan Board of Works area in 1855, retaining a parish vestry, and then became part of the County of London in 18...
, the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington
Metropolitan Borough of Paddington

The Metropolitan Borough of Paddington was a metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1900 and 1965....
 and the smaller City of Westminster
Metropolitan Borough of Westminster

The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, England, from 1900 to 1965....
.






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Encyclopedia


The City of Westminster is a borough
London borough

The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London....
 of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 with city status
City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
. It is located west of the City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 and north of the River Thames
River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
, and forms part of Inner London
Inner London

Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time....
 and the bulk of London's central area.

The city contains most of London's West End
West End of London

The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres....
 and is the seat of the United Kingdom's government, with the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet....
, Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction....
, Whitehall
Whitehall

Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Charing Cross, now at the southern end of Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of Charles I of England, which is often regarded as the heart of London....
, and the Royal Courts of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice

The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is the building in London which houses Court of Appeal of England and Wales and High Court of Justice of England and Wales....
.

In 1965 the London borough was created from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone
Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone

The Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone was a metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was based directly on the previously existing civil parish of St Marylebone, which was incorporated into the Metropolitan Board of Works area in 1855, retaining a parish vestry, and then became part of the County of London in 18...
, the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington
Metropolitan Borough of Paddington

The Metropolitan Borough of Paddington was a metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1900 and 1965....
 and the smaller City of Westminster
Metropolitan Borough of Westminster

The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, England, from 1900 to 1965....
. It covers a far greater area than the original settlement of Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
.

Demography

According to the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th Census in the United Kingdom....
, the borough had a population of 181,279. Westminster City Council undertook several studies, supported by both political parties on the council, that indicated that this figure was too low. The Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics

The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
 eventually added 17,500 people to Westminster's population, increasing its grant from the United Kingdom Government. The official population is now 198,779, but some estimates put it at 220,000. 71% of the population are white, 16% Any Asian ethnicity, 7% Black, 6% Mixed, 4% Other. 35% of households are owner-occupiers.

Politics

The city is divided into 20 wards. The council is composed of 49 Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom....
 members and 11 Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Left-wing politics in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently organised again....
 members.

The council is known for its infamous "homes for votes" scandal. Shirley Porter
Shirley Porter

Shirley, Lady Porter Order of the British Empire is a former British Conservative Party leader of City of Westminster in London and a prominent philanthropist in Israel....
 was involved in the illegal "Building stable communities" exercise of the 1980s.

Evolution of Parliamentary representation
1918 1950 1974 1979 1997 Next election


Summary results of elections



Districts

The City of Westminster covers all or part of the following areas of London:

Economy

Hketo London
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London is Hong Kong's trade office in the United Kingdom. As a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong does not have an embassy....
 is located in Westminster.

Landmarks

Westminster contains many of the most famous sites in London. Some of the popular tourist sites are Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction....
, Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet....
 (Houses of Parliament) and Big Ben
Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster

Big Ben is the nickname for the great Bell of the clock at the north-eastern end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The nickname is often also used to refer to the clock and the clock tower....
 and nearby Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
.

Parks and open spaces

Lord's Pavillion
These include Green Park
Green Park

Green Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. Covering an area of about 53 acres , it lies between London's Hyde Park, London and St. James's Park....
, Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, England and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine ....
, Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens

See also Kensington Gardens, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide, AustraliaKensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park, London....
, Regent's Park
Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London of London. It is in the northern part of central London partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden....
 and St James's Park. In addition to parks and open spaces within the borough, the City owns and maintains East Finchley Cemetery
East Finchley Cemetery

East Finchley Cemetery is a cemetery and crematorium in East Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet. The facilities are owned and managed by the City of Westminster....
 and crematorium in the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet

The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: London Borough of Harrow and London Borough of Brent to the west, London Borough of Camden and London Borough of Haringey to the south-east and London Borough of Enfield to the...
.

Transport


Bridges

These include Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge

Chelsea Bridge is a self-anchored suspension bridge for road and foot traffic running north-south over the River Thames in London, between Grosvenor Bridge and the Albert Bridge, London....
, Hungerford Bridge
Hungerford Bridge

The Hungerford Bridge crosses the River Thames in London, and lies between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. It is a steel truss bridge railway bridge ? sometimes known as the Charing Cross Bridge ? flanked by two cable-stayed pedestrian bridges that share the railway bridge's foundation piers, and which are properly named the ...
, Grosvenor Bridge
Grosvenor Bridge

This article is about the London bridge. For the Chester bridge, see Grosvenor Bridge .Grosvenor Bridge, often alternatively called Victoria Railway Bridge, is a railway bridge over the River Thames in London, between Vauxhall Bridge and Chelsea Bridge....
, Lambeth Bridge
Lambeth Bridge

Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east-west direction in central London; the river flows north at the crossing point....
, Vauxhall Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge

Vauxhall Bridge is a steel arched bridge for road and foot traffic, crossing the River Thames in a north-west south-east orientation, between Lambeth Bridge and Grosvenor Bridge, in central London....
, Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge

Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge....
 and Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge

Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster, Middlesex bank, and Lambeth, Surrey bank in what is now Greater London, England....
.

Main line stations

These are Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station

Charing Cross railway station is a central London railway terminus. It is unusual among London's railway termini in that its services connect it to two of the others, Waterloo railway station and London Bridge station....
, Marylebone
Marylebone station

Marylebone station or London Marylebone station is a National Rail and London Underground station in central London, England. The station is located midway between the mainline stations at Euston station and Paddington station, about 1 mile from each....
, Paddington
Paddington station

London Paddington station, also known as London Paddington, or just simply Paddington, is a major National Rail and London Underground station complex in the Paddington area near central London, England....
 and Victoria
Victoria station (London)

London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo Station....
.

London Underground

The City of Westminster is served by 27 tube stations, and 10 of the 12 Underground lines (the East London line
East London Line

The East London Line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. It ran north to south through the East End of London and London Docklands areas of London, entirely in Travelcard Zone 2....
 and Waterloo and City line are the exceptions).

Electric charging points

Westminster City Council now has electric vehicle charging points in 15 locations through the city (13 car parks and two on-street points). Users pay an annual fee to cover administration costs to register and use the points.

Education

Westminster Children's Services operates many community primary and secondary schools. In addition, several voluntary-aided Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 (CE), Roman Catholic (RC), and Christian non-denominational (ND) schools are in the city.

Universities and colleges


  • Strand
    Strand, London

    The Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar London, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its #History has been longer than this....
     campus of King's College London
    King's College London

    King's College London is a United Kingdom higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by George IV of the United Kingdom and the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of University of Oxford and Un...
    .
  • University of the Arts London
    University of the Arts London

    The University of the Arts London , formerly known as the London Institute, is a collegiate university comprising six art, design, fashion and Media studies colleges in London, England, United Kingdom....
     site the London College of Fashion
    London College of Fashion

    The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in fashion and related industries....
     on Davies Street
  • London Business School
    London Business School

    London Business School is a leading international business school and a constituent college of the University of London. It teaches postgraduate programmes in finance and management, including Master of Business Administration programmes, Sloan Fellowship Program for experienced business executives, Masters in Finance , Masters in Management...
     is located in Regent's Park
    Regent's Park

    Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London of London. It is in the northern part of central London partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden....
    .
  • London School of Economics
    London School of Economics

    The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the University of London in London, England....
     is located near Aldwych
    Aldwych

    Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The road is a crescent, connecting to Strand, London at both ends....
    .
  • Royal Academy of Music
    Royal Academy of Music

    The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a college or university school of music, Britian's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999....
     is located on Marylebone Road
    Marylebone Road

    Marylebone Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 road Westway at Paddington....
    .
  • University of the Arts London
    University of the Arts London

    The University of the Arts London , formerly known as the London Institute, is a collegiate university comprising six art, design, fashion and Media studies colleges in London, England, United Kingdom....
     has constituent colleges in Holborn
    Holborn

    Holborn is an area of Central London, England. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running from St Giles's High Street as High Holborn to Gray's Inn Road to Holborn Viaduct, crossing the borders of the City of Westminster, London Borough of Camden and the City of London....
     (CSM
    Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

    Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London and is widely regarded to be one of the world's leading art and design institutions....
    ) and Millbank
    Millbank

    Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster....
     (Chelsea
    Chelsea College of Art and Design

    Chelsea College of Art and Design, the erstwhile Chelsea School of Art, is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers further education and higher education courses in Fine Art, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Textile Design up to Doctor of Philosophy level....
    ).
  • University of Westminster
    University of Westminster

    The University of Westminster is a university in London, formed in 1992 as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Its antecedent institution, the Royal Polytechnic Institution dated back to 1838....
     is located on three campuses in the borough.
  • Brigham Young University
    Brigham Young University

    Brigham Young University , located in Provo, Utah, United States, is a Private education, coeducational research university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
     London Centre is located on Palace Court.
  • The northern half of Imperial College London
    Imperial College London

    Imperial College London is a United Kingdom university in London that focuses primarily on science, engineering, medicine and business.Imperial is regularly placed in the top three in the Times National University League Table along with Oxford and Cambridge....
    's main South Kensington
    South Kensington

    South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
     campus lies within the borough.
  • Regent's College
    Regent's College

    Regent's College is located in Regent's Park, London, England. It is one of the two largest groups of buildings in the park, along with the London Zoo, and was built on the site of South Villa, one of the original eight Regent's Park villas....
    , whose campus is within the grounds of Regent's Park, which houses:European Business School London
    European Business School London

    European Business School London is located in Regent's Park in central London, England. EBS London was established in 1979, and is a constituent school of Regent's College....
    ; British American College London
    British American College London

    Regents American College London is located in Regent's Park in central London, England. The college, operating since 1986, offers BA, MA, MBA, and part-time MBA) courses from Webster University....
    ; Regent's Business School; School of Psychotherapy and Counselling; Webster Graduate School
    Webster Graduate School

    The Webster Graduate School in London, England, is the official London campus of Webster University, whose main campus is in St. Louis, Missouri, United States....
    ; Internexus, a provider of English language courses.


Public libraries

The London Library
London Library

The London Library is the world's largest Subscription library. It is located in the City of Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom.It was founded in 1841 by Thomas Carlyle, who was dissatisfied with some of the policies at the British Library....
, an independent lending library, is located at 14 St. James's Square in the City of Westminster.

The city operates one reference library, the Westminster Reference Library. City-operated public lending libraries in Westminster include the Charing Cross Library, the Church Street Library, the Maida Vale Library, the Marylbone Library, the Mayfair Library, the Paddington Library, the Pimlico Library, the Queen's Park Library, St. James's Library, St. John's Wood Library, and the Victoria Library. In addition the city has two specialist libraries, the Westminster Music Library, the largest music library in the United Kingdom, and the Westminster Chinese Library in the Charing Cross Library.

Gallery


See also

  • London Underground
    London Underground

    The London Underground is a metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK....
  • River Thames
    River Thames

    The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
  • River Westbourne
    River Westbourne

    The River Westbourne is a river in London, England. It flows from Hampstead down through Hyde Park, London to Sloane Square and into the River Thames at Chelsea, London....
  • West End of London
    West End of London

    The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres....


External links

  • , by Sir Walter Besant and Geraldine Edith Mitton and A. Murray Smith, 1902, from Project Gutenberg
    Project Gutenberg

    Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works, as founder Michael Hart said "To encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."....


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