It’s a rather strange question to ask – but did you know that there is an ‘official’ center of London? What makes this distinction so important? Well, all distances in Britain from London are measured from this point – so it’s important to get right.
Well, new research from the Estate Agency Knight Frank, has claimed that the center of London actually needs to be moved 900 yards from its current location.
The current center of London is actually the statue of Charles I on top of his horse at Charing Cross and has been for quite a while. A plaque can be found on the floor behind the statue stating that mileage distances on road signage are still measured from this point.
Knight Frank has said that the capital’s eastward expansion means that the bench currently located on the Victoria Embankment in front of King’s College London should be actually be the center of London.
If their claim is held up – hundreds of streets signs that calculate the distance from the center of London would have to be changed.
For the knowledge junkies out there, here are some distances to locations throughout Britain from the current center.
- Manchester 184 miles
- Liverpool 198 miles
- Paris 257 miles
- Glasgow 389 miles
- Geneva 539 miles
- Rome 1118 miles
- Los Angeles 5455 miles
- Bangkok 5931 miles
- Sydney 10,500 miles
- The moon 240,000 miles (approx.)
Author: Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.
So, if in years from now London develops in a different direction, would you change the city center again? That seems quite impractical. How about calling it “historic” center and leaving it where it is now?
I totally agree with Ivana.
In Sydney, we have ours in a small park near Circular Quay, not that many people know it’s where abouts, but just like London, Sydney has grown so much it is irrelevant, but it is still the historic centre of Sydney.
I say leave it where it is.
Also as this was bought to our attention by a real estate company, I wonder what is motivating them to ask for change?
It’s just the point all distances are measured from. Nothing says it has to be at the geographic centre and, let’s be honest, exactly what are you using as a definition of the edge of London to calculate the centre from?
I agree with all of the above posters: It would be an extraordinary amount of money to pay people to precisely measure the new distances, to pay people to put up the new signs, to pay people to make the signs, plus the cost of the signs themselves. Whether the national government or local government is responsible, it’s not a budget item anyone can well afford right now. If it’s important to people, make a plaque designating it an historic place noting that measurements are from that spot. You could even put a plaque on the new spot if necessary.