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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why people increasingly refer to places not in London as 'in London'

532 replies

redpipe · 15/12/2013 11:23

I genuinely don't understand why people say they live in London when in fact they live in a town within the M25.
Croydon is not in London is it? Nor is Kingston. I never remember people referring to these towns as London years ago. Is this a new thing?

OP posts:
Original poster
redpipe · 15/12/2013 12:05

happytalk13 Grin

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 15/12/2013 12:06

OK if you look at administrative geography on ONS it has counties, unitary authorities and London Boroughs covering the entire country and all without overlap. It has both Croydon LB and Surrey as a county. So either there is an overlap, or the 'Surrey' that ONS talks about is the 'Surrey' the rest of you are talking about minus the bit that is Croydon LB.
I'm quite worried about this...

AmberLeaf · 15/12/2013 12:07

Scarlet some of croydon borders the borough of Bromley.

StealthPolarBear · 15/12/2013 12:08

And when you look at 'London' as a Government Office Region (no longer exist but replaced by 4 regions, of which London is one) Croydon and Bromley are both in there.

yummymumtobe · 15/12/2013 12:08

Tw isn't london. Why would you say you live in London when you don't? Tw is middlesex. And Kingston is Surrey. This is a source of regret for us as we live in London (Sw) but our ds was born in Kingston hospital so e was born in Surrey, not London. Why would you lie about living in London if you don't?! I don't claim to live in Surrey when I don't!

AmberLeaf · 15/12/2013 12:08

Well it borders the London borough of Bromley, not necessarily Bromley 'proper'

TwoMinutesToMidnight · 15/12/2013 12:08

Bromley is in Kent. Richmond is in Surrey. Op yanbu.

StealthPolarBear · 15/12/2013 12:09

London - includes Croydon

DownstairsMixUp · 15/12/2013 12:09

Where is the magic line though?! I lived im Barking which was a london borough zone 4 met police 0208 rm post code but the next stop to me was east ham suddenly zone 3 and postcode changed to E.

FetaCheeny · 15/12/2013 12:09

There is no overlap. Richmond, Bromley, Croydon etc are part of London. They haven't been part of Kent/Surrey since 1965. Some people struggle with change though.

ChippyMinton · 15/12/2013 12:10

Stealth- postal addresses might be Middlesex or Surrey but are different from the local govt boundaries ie who you pay council tax to.
tis all snobbery or inverted snobbery anyway.

hardboiledpossum · 15/12/2013 12:10

Watford is not London!

Spartak · 15/12/2013 12:10

Richmond isn't in Surrey any more. Its a borough in its own right. So is Kingston, even though the HQ for Surrey County Council is there, it was too expensive to move it.

StealthPolarBear · 15/12/2013 12:10

Kingston and Richmond are authorities in their own right and are not in the county of Surrey. they are in the south east region.

littleducks · 15/12/2013 12:11

I have just checked my address on the PO address finder and the correct form is a 3 line address:

House no, street name
local small town
postcode (not a london postcode)

But Middx still seems to be used, in fact I use it myself when address forms have an asterix next to County as I don't know what else to put.

StealthPolarBear · 15/12/2013 12:11

Chippy, so do you mean that the 'Surrey' as we (and ONS) define it does not include Croydon?
If so that is a huge relief.
Actually thinking about it I can check for myself - see which county districts are listed for SUrrey.

hercules1 · 15/12/2013 12:12

Parts if croydon used to come under surrey until 1965. Croydon is part of london.

AGnuMasqueradingAsAReindeer · 15/12/2013 12:12

I had no idea Orpington was with the M25... We have distant relatives there & it's not "in London" in my mind, despite apparently being a similar distance as Selsdon/KuT. My brain classes Orpington as "like Sevenoaks" or "near Tonbridge Wells" because my Dad's relatives live in the area between Orpington & Tonbridge Wells. It's definitely nowhere near my Mum's Selsdon side of the family though... Confused Hmm

I think I might need someone to buy me a map for Christmas! Blush

AmberLeaf · 15/12/2013 12:13

Someone mentioned calling the area you live in something when you are trying to sell it.

If you are trying to sell your house that's in the borough of croydon, you'd big up the Surrey part of your address. If you are trying to prove your 'cool' crudentials, you say you live in London.

ChippyMinton · 15/12/2013 12:13

Yummymumtobe why would that be a source of regret, especially as it is not Surrey anyway.

TSSDNCOP · 15/12/2013 12:15

If I was London I'd think of Croydon as that pesky unwanted relative that just doesn't know when it's time to leave, despite repeated hints.

Bromley is the geographical equivalent of Hyacinth Bucket.

Original poster
redpipe · 15/12/2013 12:16

Really Kingston is no longer in Surrey?

The Bentall Centre, Wood St, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 1TR
Richmond Theatre The Green, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1QJ

OP posts:
ChippyMinton · 15/12/2013 12:16

Stealth, don't panic you haven't uncovered a great conspiracy!

StealthPolarBear · 15/12/2013 12:16

thanks TSS that's really helpful :o

AmberLeaf · 15/12/2013 12:16

Coulsdon is part of the London borough of Croydon.

No one would call it 'coulsdon, London' though, they call it 'Coulsdon, Surrey'

Its postal address is still Surrey.