Breaking down London’s boroughs: The City of London

Each week, I will write about one of London’s boroughs. I previously explained how London is divided up and what boroughs are so be sure to check that out first. There are 32 boroughs that make up London, plus the non-borough division the City of London.

Sir Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s is the most visited tourist site in the City of London. Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

Borough 1: The Non-Borough — The City of London

Yes, the ‘first’ borough of London isn’t even a borough. Believe it or not, it is governed as a Corporation. It is the only division of London designated as such and one of only two with the added designation of “city” (the City of Westminster being the other). There are a few bureaucratic/regulatory quirks to the City that are unique compared to the rest of London divisions that we’ll go through.

There it is. Number 1. The City of London (not a borough). Original map source.

But, first: the history!

The City of London is the original London (née Londinium). It was founded within seven years of the Romans invading Britain in 43AD. That makes it nearly 2,000 years old.

It wasn’t smooth sailing at the beginning, though. Despite its strategic importance to the Romans, they did not rush to build a defensive fort around the new…