What do you think of as “London”?

[CruCru]

On another thread I got into a discussion on which places are London and which are actually somewhere else. I think that only places with a London postcode are in London, otherwise they are in the Home Counties. However, quite a few people disagreed with me as they said that they lived in an outer London borough. I didn’t want to derail that thread (which was about something else) so thought I’d start my own.

To my way of thinking, if I sent a letter addressed to someone at 123 Their Street, London, Their postcode, it would only be sensible to do so if they actually live in London. If I did that for someone who lives in Harrow, Croydon or Kingston, doing so would cause confusion (but it might still arrive if the postcode was correct).

What do you think?

I live in zone 3, this is London to me.

For most purposes, "inside the M25" is enough for me. Otherwise, the London Boroughs and City. I would also say London postcodes and 071/081 phone numbers as was, but I assume (having never thought much about it) they more or less map onto the boroughs. Which now makes me want to see maps of these different things, to see where they do and don't overlapping.

I would also say most of the tube, but there are places that isn't enough, especially south of the river, and other places like up the Metropolitan line and much of the Elizabeth line where that's definitely not true. Reading, Slough and Maidenhead aren't London.

I'm a lifelong Londoner and have always lived in zone 1 or 2, but I consider all London boroughs to be part of London and anywhere up to zone 6. I definitely consider Croydon and Barnet to be parts of London - a different feel to the centre, but still very much part of it. I quite like reading research, statistics and news about London and it's generally based on the boroughs. I love living in the centre and I often visit places all over the tube network for day trips, and I don't consider myself to be leaving London up to zone 6.

Biggin Hill is officially in London too.

But even as a Bromley native, I struggle to see Biggin Hill as London despite the inside M25, TfL buses, ULEZ etc as it is in the actual countryside there!

How would you describe the areas outside your circle? Ealing for example has a London postcode.

I suppose I would say the circle was London and the rest was greater London, or London suburbs

If someone says they live in North London to me, I automatically think of Enfield. 😆 where else is Enfield if not in North London?! It's definitely not Hertfordshire and I don't think it ever has been. It's only 10 miles from Charing Cross.

Depends who I'm talking to (or was, don't live there now). If someone in London asked me where I lived I would say the town, but in my hometown hundreds of miles away most people wouldn't know it, so I'd just say London.

When I think of north London I think of Highgate and Golders Green.

Greater London I suppose. Sorry to offend.

That’s ridiculous. Anyone knows Richmond is in London, as are Ealing, Barnet and Brent. If I can get there on a tube or London bus I count it as London, not including the Elizabeth Line of course.

I think parts of Haringey/Brent are less "London" and than Ealing, ie very,very suburban, yet they are within your circle

Anything within the M25. I used to think of it as postcodes, but then realised a lot of Enfield/Barnet postcodes are actually EN and they’re London boroughs so definitely London.

Which parts of Haringey wouldn’t be London? The whole of Haringey is within the North Circular, so definitely London if you ask me!

@GretchenWienersHair I agree with you that Haringey is in London, ...my point was more that I wasn't sure why Haringey was in the London circle but not Ealing and parts of Hounslow, as arguably the latter are more urban than parts of the LB Haringey.
Plus Ealing is Zone 3 and Turnham green (LB Hounslow) zone 2/3

Seems like some posters, including OP, need a bit of an ego boost and want to feel special because they live in this borough instead of that other one.
I am sorry to report: You are not special.
Westminster and Croydon, to name just a couple, have the exact same level of Londoness.

Yes I agree! I would love to be from a cool bit of London (although Hackney, Brixton etc were renowned shitholes when I was growing up) but even though my bit is dull, ugly and and full of 1930s semis and petty crime, it’s London nonetheless! Even NYC has suburbs ffs!

All arguments to the contrary only serve to let me know that the people making the points are either a) not actual Londoners by my standards and therefore no authority on the issue or b) crashing Zone 1 bores/snobs 😝

But large parts of London are no where near a tube station - I think it's 4 Boroughs that have no Tube at all.
And round my part of South London, many of the London Bus routes (TfL controlled) extend beyond the boundaries of London Boroughs into Surrey and Kent.

But then Battersea has only recently had a tube station and yet you can look across the river to Chelsea.

Do I really need to write “lighthearted” on posts to avoid this sort of unpleasantness? I have not said that London is any better than anywhere else - in fact the person who grew up in Harrow thinks London is worse than other places.

I think Croydon is a place in its own right, regardless of whether it is part of the Greater London Authority. I have never lived in Croydon but I have worked there.

Battersea is SW11. It’s in London.

I think anyone who lives somewhere that gives them a vote for Mayor would make sense.

yes but a PP said that if she could get there on a tube, then it's London.

When battersea didn't have a tube it was still definitely london

Some Tube stations aren't in London... Chalford and Latimer is in Buckinghamshire for example. So thats not a definitive guide either.

I think the tube is a bit of a red herring. The Metropolitan line goes to Watford, the District line goes to Upminster.

Ahh I see!