| London County of London | |
|---|---|
| County | |
 County of London shown within England | |
| Area | |
| • 1911 | 74,816 acres (302.77 km2) |
| • 1961 | 74,903 acres (303.12 km2) |
| Population | |
| • 1911 | 4,521,685 |
| • 1961 | 3,200,484 |
| Density | |
| • 1911 | 60/acre |
| • 1961 | 42/acre |
| History | |
| • Origin | District of the Metropolitan Board of Works |
| • Created | 1889 |
| • Abolished | 1965 |
| • Succeeded by | Greater London |
| Status | Administrative and (smaller)ceremonial county |
| Government | London County Council |
| • HQ | County Hall, Lambeth |
 Coat of arms of London County Council | |
| Subdivisions | |
| • Type | Parishes anddistricts (1889–1900) Metropolitan boroughs (1900–1965) |
 Boroughs numbered 2–29 (1 is the City) | |
TheCounty of London was a county ofEngland from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today asInner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of theLocal Government Act 1888. The Act created anadministrative County of London, which included within its territory theCity of London. However, the City of London and the County of London formed separateceremonial counties for "non-administrative" purposes.[1] The local authority for the county was theLondon County Council (LCC), which initially performed only a limited range of functions, but gained further powers during its 76-year existence. The LCC provided very few services within the City of London, where the ancientCorporation monopolised local governance.[1] In 1900, the lower-tiercivil parishes and district boards were replaced with 28 newmetropolitan boroughs. The territory of the county was 74,903 acres (303.12 km2) in 1961. During its existence, there was a long-termdecline in population as more residents moved into the outer suburbs; there were periodic reviews of the local government structures in the greater London area and several failed attempts to expand the boundaries of the county. In 1965, theLondon Government Act 1963 replaced the county with the much largerGreater London administrative area.
The county occupied an area of just under 75,000 acres (30,351 ha) and lay within theLondon Basin.[2] It was divided into two parts (north and south) by theRiver Thames, which was the most significant geographical feature. It was bordered by theRiver Lea withEssex to the north-east,Kent to the south-east,Surrey the south-west andMiddlesex to the north-west. The highest point wasHampstead Heath in the north of the county at 440 feet (134 m), which is one of thehighest points in London. In 1900 a number of boundary anomalies were abolished. These included the loss of theAlexandra Park exclave to Middlesex, gainingSouth Hornsey in return, and the transfer ofPenge to Kent.
TheMetropolis Management Act 1855 revolutionised and amalgamated much of local government across an identical, newly formed, area. This reform created an indirectly electedMetropolitan Board of Works which initially built and maintained infrastructure for the metropolis, including modern sanitation.[3] Over time the board gained more functions and became the de facto local authority and provider of new services for the London area. The board operated in those parts of the counties ofMiddlesex, Surrey andKent that had been designated by theGeneral Register Office as "the Metropolis" for the purposes of theBills of Mortality.[3] This area had been administered separately from the City of London, which came under the control of theCorporation of London.
There had been several attempts during the 19th century to reform London government, either by expanding the City of London to cover the whole of the metropolitan area; by creating a new county of London;[4] or by creating ten municipal corporations matching the parliamentary boroughs of the metropolis.[5] These had all been defeated in Parliament, in part because of the agency power of the City Corporation.[6] Ultimately, theLocal Government Act 1888 and the introduction of county councils in England provided the mechanism for creating a territory and authority encompassing the expanded London area. For expediency, the area of the metropolitan board was chosen for the new county, and no attempt was made to select new boundaries.[1] This area had been out of line with the expansion of London even in 1855.[3] For example, it anomalously omitted built-up and expanding areas such asWest Ham, but included some sparsely populated areas on the metropolitan fringe.[3]
The City of London and the County of London each formed counties for "non-administrative" purposes, with a separateLord Lieutenant andHigh Sheriff for the county of London.[1] However, theadministrative county, which corresponded to the area of control of the county council, also included the City of London. In practice, the county council had very little authority over the ancient City, with some powers over drainage, roads, fire brigade, embankment of the river and flood prevention.[1] In common with the rest of the country, the 1888 Act provided no reform of lower-tier authorities and the county was, initially at least, administered locally by a series of parish vestries and district boards.
The local authority for the county was theLondon County Council (LCC). Initially, the LCC provided the services it had inherited from the Metropolitan Board of Works.[1] Eventually, however, it absorbed functions from ad-hoc agencies such theLondon School Board andMetropolitan Asylums Board. The council was initially based inSpring Gardens, but moved to a purpose-builtCounty Hall in the 1930s. The housing policy of the council includedprovision of large housing estates outside the boundaries of the county, such as that atBecontree.[7]
In 1900, eleven years after its foundation, theLondon Government Act divided the County of London into 28metropolitan boroughs. These replaced the ancient parishvestries and district boards as the second tier of local government.
County of London boroughs numbered in the information box on the right side:
† Not a metropolitan borough.
Population fell afterWorld War I and as recorded at each census until its 1965 demise. In 1901, the population was 4.5 million and by 1961 it had fallen to 3.2 million. Following the 1931 census, more of the population of "Greater London" (defined at the time as theMetropolitan Police District and City of London) lived outside the county than in it.[8] The following table illustrates the approximate population according to the census at various intervals:[9]
| Year | Central Area† | Inner Ring‡ | Second Ring§ | County of London Total | Outer Ring# of Greater London |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | 1,743,000 | 1,008,000 | 1,093,000 | 3,844,000 | 950,000[10] |
| 1901 | 1,623,000 | 1,201,000 | 1,601,000 | 4,425,000 | 1,422,000[11] |
| 1921 | 1,364,000 | 1,186,000 | 1,933,000 | 4,483,000 | 2,993,000[12] |
| 1931 | 1,260,000 | 1,163,000 | 1,976,000 | 4,399,000 | 3,807,000[8] |
| 1951 | 738,000 | 927,000 | 1,683,000 | 3,348,000 | 4,998,000[13] |
†The City of London and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Finsbury, Holborn, St Marylebone, St Pancras, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stepney and Westminster.
‡The Metropolitan Boroughs of Battersea, Chelsea, Islington, Kensington, Lambeth and Paddington.
§The Metropolitan Boroughs of Camberwell, Deptford, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith, Hampstead, Lewisham, Poplar, Stoke Newington, Wandsworth and Woolwich.
#Defined as the area of the Metropolitan Police district outside the County of London.
.svg)
The county of London was abolished in 1965 and was replaced by the fivefold-sizedGreater London, which took in nearly all ofMiddlesex, along with areas inSurrey, Kent,Essex andHertfordshire. Middlesex and Surrey had already been reduced in 1889 on the county's creation.[14] The area "that had been" has since been known statutorily asInner London and anInner London Education Authority operated in the area until 1990. The 28 metropolitan boroughs were merged to form 12 new InnerLondon boroughs.
Local government districts abolished or transferred by theLondon Government Act 1963 | ||
|---|---|---|
| London | ||
| Essex | ||
| Hertfordshire | ||
| Middlesex,CC | ||
| Kent | ||
| Surrey | ||
| Transfers | Middlesex to Hertfordshire:Potters Bar
| |
