Where Is The Centre Of London? Finding The Real Midtown

By · January 25, 2010 at 11:45 am · 13 Comments · Miscellaneous · Report an error ·

The statue of Charles I near Trafalgar Square has long represented the centre of London. This weather-beaten monument is the point from which all distances to the capital are measured, and marks the former site of the original Charing Cross. Go back earlier and the centre of our city was often associated with London Stone, that sorry-looking piece of rock hidden in a niche on Cannon Street.

But last week, a new (ish) claimant to the honour emerged. Business advocates in the Bloomsbury-Holborn-St Giles area have suggested renaming their territory as ‘Midtown’, which could be taken to imply a central position in London’s geography.

So where is the centre of London, geometrically speaking? Being of empirical bent, we set to find out in good old Blue Peter fashion. Our method was simple. Print out a map of the city, mount it on card, cut it out, and then find the centre of gravity by balancing the shape on the point of a needle. “Would you like a plumb-bob?”, asked the ever-helpful Mrs Londonist. “No thanks,” we replied. “And who is this Bob fellow?”

We tried the experiment with three representations of the capital: Greater London (i.e. all the boroughs); Zone 1 (as defined by TfL) and the Square Mile (representing ancient London). To find out where, in each case, the experimentally derived centre of London is, please click through the gallery. Hint: it’s not Midtown.

We welcome peer review in the comments, and urge others to repeat the experiment at better resolution, factoring in elevation and with a more spreadable glue.

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  • http://undefined Jason

    Excellent! Good to see a bit of scientific method at work.

  • http://undefined Andy

    A shocking disregard for proper geospatial techniques from Londonist. The uneven use of glue could put you easily 50 metres or so out.

    I suggest repeating using a compass and a bit of string or any off the shelf GIS package.

    Andy

  • http://undefined Hugh

    How about weighting it based on population… You could have little pieces for every 10,000 residents that you stick to your card… What kind of a difference do you think it’d make?

  • http://undefined M@

    Interesting idea, Hugh. I think that’d take computer modelling to work out with any accuracy, although it would be fun to try it with card and blu-tak. You’d probably end up with a doughnut, thanks to the low population of the City and West End.

  • http://undefined Paul St Pancras

    I knew that! George Brown, my MP in Belper, came from Lambeth, not far from where you identify.

    He once took me and another young reporter on a tour of his old neighbourhood – ending at a House of Commons bar.

    He was proud of the fact that he came from the heart of London.

  • http://undefined DeanN

    “The spot lies close to the Soutwark-Lambeth border, approximately where you’ll find Lambeth North Tube station”

    My office is right beside Lambeth North tube. Doesn’t feel like the centre of anything.

  • http://www.breakfastatbritannia.blogspot.com/ CRAiG

    The needle thingummy near Elephant has a justifiable claim to centrisity of London too.

    Although with gags like the ‘Bob’ one above i was almost put off commenting.

  • Jonn

    @Craig St George’s Circus. Also doesn’t feel much like the centre of anything.

    This post may be actual, bona fide genius.

  • http://undefined Thomasthetaxi

    What a shock for a north London Boy!
    In the late sixties, traveling to work from kilburn park to the west end, I fell asleep on the tube and found myself in the middle of nowhere. Little did I know at the time I was in the heart of the metropolis.

  • http://undefined jamesu

    Brilliant.

    Am I deluding myself? I’m convinced that the official centre is the Charring Cross outside eponymous station…

    Can I suggest doing it with the map of London postal districts? It’s a lot rounder and should be more centrally balanced.

    These days I think Centre Point seems about right for me.

  • Dave

    I’ve always liked to think that the intersection of the EC and WC central London postcodes should indicate a meaningful location for the centre of London.

    Unfortunately, that point would appear to be slap bang on top of Chancery Lane station. How underwhelming.

  • http://undefined Glyn1

    Hmm, does the Zone 1 map really misspell Piccadilly as “Picadilly” or is it a cunning forgery?

    Traditionally the centre of the City is supposed to be the junction of Bow Lane and Watling Street, and Trump Street is under 100 metres from there, so your method is very accurate.

  • Dean

    That “thingummy” would be St. Goerge’s Circus….where 5 roads meet. Westminster Bridge Road, London Road, Borough Road. Waterloo Road and Blackfriar’s road. It’s one mile marker from Westminster. As a London Cabbie I’d stick with King Charles Island south of Trafalgar Square…why not!

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