Metropolitan Borough of Westminster
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough
in the County of London
, England
, from 1900 to 1965.
in 1541. The diocese was suppressed in 1550, but the area was still known as a "city", although without official sanction.
, who rebuilt the church of St Peter (Westminster Abbey
), and Henry VII
, who added a chapel
, within the Abbey. The portcullis
and rose emblems are derived from the Tudor dynasty
- from whom Westminster first achieved its status; and they appear throughout many public and religious buildings in Westminster, and the portcullis was adopted by the House of Commons
. The supporting lions are adopted from the Cecil
family, who have had a long association with the borough. The arms were first granted in 1601.
The motto Custodi Civitatem Domine, is translated as O Lord, watch over the City.
and Bayswater Road
. It included Soho
, Mayfair
, St. James's
, The Strand
, Westminster
, Pimlico
, Belgravia
, and Hyde Park
.
It was formed from various parishes:
Previous to the borough's formation it had been administered by five separate local bodies: the Vestry of St George Hanover Square, the Vestry of St Martin in the Fields, Strand District Board of Works, Westminster District Board of Works and the Vestry of Westminster St James. The Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter had not been under the control of any local authority prior to 1900.
Civil parishes 1801-1899
along with the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington
and the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone
.
Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London
The term metropolitan borough was used from 1900 to 1965, for the subdivisions of the County of London created by the London Government Act 1899....
in the County of London
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, from 1900 to 1965.
City Status
By royal charter dated 29 October 1900 the borough was granted the title City of Westminster. Westminster had originally been created a city and seat of the short-lived Diocese of WestminsterDiocese of Westminster
The Diocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of the Church of England, extant from 1540 - 1550.The Diocese was created from part of the Diocese of London, and comprised Westminster , and the county of Middlesex, with the exception of Fulham...
in 1541. The diocese was suppressed in 1550, but the area was still known as a "city", although without official sanction.
Arms and motto
The arms of Westminster represent two monarchs, closely associated with the City. Edward the ConfessorEdward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, who rebuilt the church of St Peter (Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
), and Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, who added a chapel
Henry VII Lady Chapel
The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, paid for by the will of Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by brass gates and a flight of stairs.The structure of the chapel is a...
, within the Abbey. The portcullis
Portcullis
A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...
and rose emblems are derived from the Tudor dynasty
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
- from whom Westminster first achieved its status; and they appear throughout many public and religious buildings in Westminster, and the portcullis was adopted by the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. The supporting lions are adopted from the Cecil
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
family, who have had a long association with the borough. The arms were first granted in 1601.
The motto Custodi Civitatem Domine, is translated as O Lord, watch over the City.
Area
It consisted of the area that is now part of the City of Westminster and south of Oxford StreetOxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
and Bayswater Road
Bayswater Road
Bayswater Road is the main road running across the north of Hyde Park, London. To the east Bayswater Road becomes Oxford Street . It is where the fictional upper middle class Forsyte family live in the BBC series the Forsyte Saga...
. It included Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, St. James's
St. James's
St James's is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. It is bounded to the north by Piccadilly, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall and St. James's Park and to the east by The Haymarket.-History:...
, The Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, Pimlico
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
, Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, and Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
.
It was formed from various parishes:
- St Anne Within the Liberty of WestminsterSt Anne Within the Liberty of WestminsterSt Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster, also known as St Anne Soho, was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England.It was created in 1687 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields, and was within the Liberty of Westminster.It was grouped into the Strand District...
(also called St Anne, Soho) - St Clement DanesSt Clement Danes (parish)St Clement Danes was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. Much of the former parish is now occupied by the site of the London School of Economics, in the extreme southeast of the City of Westminster....
- St George Hanover SquareSt George Hanover SquareSt George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church in central London, built in the early 18th century. The church was designed by John James and was constructed under a project to build fifty new churches around London . It is situated on Hanover Square, near Oxford Circus, in what is now...
- St Martin in the FieldsSt Martin in the Fields (parish)St Martin in the Fields was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It took its name from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields and was within the Liberty of Westminster. It included within its boundaries Buckingham Palace and St...
- St Mary le StrandSt Mary le Strand (parish)St Mary le Strand was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It took its name from the church of St Mary le Strand.It was counted as a separate parish until 1549 and again from 1723...
- St Paul Covent GardenSt Paul Covent GardenSt Paul Covent Garden was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was created in 1645 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields, and was within the Liberty of Westminster....
- Westminster St JamesWestminster St JamesWestminster St James was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was also known as St James Picadilly named after St James's Church, Piccadilly....
(also called St James Piccadilly) - Westminster St Margaret and St JohnWestminster St Margaret and St JohnWestminster St Margaret and St John were two parishes, which shared a joint vestry, in the City and Liberty of Westminster and the metropolitan area of London, England....
- And the extra parochial places of the Close of the Collegiate Church of St PeterClose of the Collegiate Church of St PeterThe Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter was an extra-parochial area, and later civil parish, in the metropolitan area of London, England...
(or Westminster AbbeyWestminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
), the Precinct of the Savoy and the Liberty of the RollsLiberty of the RollsThe Liberty of the Rolls was a liberty, and civil parish from 1866, in the metropolitan area of London, England.It consisted of the part of the ancient parish of St Dunstan-in-the-West that was in the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex, the rest was within the City of London...
.
Previous to the borough's formation it had been administered by five separate local bodies: the Vestry of St George Hanover Square, the Vestry of St Martin in the Fields, Strand District Board of Works, Westminster District Board of Works and the Vestry of Westminster St James. The Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter had not been under the control of any local authority prior to 1900.
Area and population
The Borough covered 2503 acres (10.1 km²). The population recorded in the Census was:Civil parishes 1801-1899
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 160,759 | 168,657 | 189,543 | 209,229 | 229,473 | 244,531 | 257,232 | 248,714 | 229,784 | 198,871 | 183,011 |
Replacement
It was abolished in 1965 and its area became part of the City of WestminsterCity of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
along with 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.-History:Its area covered that part of the current City of Westminster west of Edgware Road and Maida Vale, and north of Bayswater Road. Places in the borough included Paddington,...
and 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...
.