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London Borough of Lewisham
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Lewisham, an important transport hub
The London Borough of Lewisham (pronunciation (help·info)) is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham and its council is based at Catford.
History
The borough was formed in 1965, by the London Government Act 1963, as an amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham and the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford, which had been created in 1900 as divisions of the County of London.[2]
Minor boundary changes have occurred since its creation. The most significant amendments were made in 1996, when the former area of the Royal Docks in Deptford was transferred from the London Borough of Greenwich.[3]
Geography and landmarks
The borough is surrounded by the London Borough of Greenwich to the east, the London Borough of Bromley to the south and the London Borough of Southwark to the west. The River Thames forms a short section of northern boundary with the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Deptford Creek, Pool River, River Quaggy and River Ravensbourne pass through the borough. Major landmarks include All Saints Church in Blackheath, the Citibank Tower in Lewisham, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Church (Sydenham's German Church, technically located in Forest Hill) and the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill.
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, Lewisham has a population of 248,922. Its population is 66% White, 12% Black Caribbean, and 9% Black African. Fifty percent of households are owner-occupiers.
Civic affairs
Motto
The motto of the borough is "Salus Populi Suprema Lex", which means (roughly translated) "The Welfare of the People is the Highest Law".
Administration
The current Chief Executive is Barry Quirk. The borough is administered by the five directorates of the council: Children and Young People, Community Services, Customer Services, Resources, and Regeneration.
Twinning
The borough is twinned with the following towns:
The borough has also signed a "friendship link" with Ekurhuleni, near Johannesburg, South Africa.
Freedom of the Borough
The honour of Freedom of the Borough has been awarded to:
Politics
Map showing the borders of the London Borough of Lewisham and its 18 electoral wards
Wards
The London Borough of Lewisham is divided into 18 wards, first used in the 2002 elections, they are:
Previous wards
The previous 26 wards of the London Borough of Lewisham divided into 6 areas, used from 1978 to 1998
Previously the borough was divided into 26 wards and 6 areas, used for elections from 1978 to 1998. Some of these former wards had the same names as the present ones, but their borders where different. When the wards were revised for 2002, some became larger, absorbing others. The previous wards and areas were:
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Lewisham central
Lewisham North East
Lewisham North West
- Drake
- Evelyn
- Grinling Gibbons
- Marlowe
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Lewisham South
Lewisham South East
Lewisham South West
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Lewisham London Borough Council
Summary of council election results:
|
Overall control |
Labour |
Lib Dem |
Green |
Conservative |
Others |
| 2006 |
No overall control |
26 |
17 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
| 2002 |
Labour |
45 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| 1998 |
Labour |
61 |
4 |
- |
2 |
- |
| 1994 |
Labour |
63 |
3 |
- |
1 |
- |
| 1990 |
Labour |
58 |
3 |
- |
6 |
- |
| 1986 |
Labour |
50 |
- |
- |
17 |
- |
| 1982 |
Labour |
43 |
- |
- |
24 |
- |
| 1978 |
Labour |
44 |
- |
- |
23 |
- |
| 1974 |
Labour |
51 |
- |
- |
9 |
- |
| 1971 |
Labour |
55 |
- |
- |
5 |
- |
| 1968 |
Conservative |
19 |
- |
- |
41 |
- |
| 1964 |
Labour |
45 |
- |
- |
15 |
- |
-
Unlike in most English districts, Lewisham's council is led by a directly-elected mayor. The system was established at the 2002 council elections, and has now run for two mayoral elections, both of which Steve Bullock has won for the Labour party.
Westminster Parliament
The borough includes the constituencies of Lewisham, Deptford, Lewisham West and Lewisham East
These are the MPs who have represented constituencies covered by the borough since its formation in 1964. Note that constituencies change their boundaries over time, even where names remain the same.
Transport and places
Transport
Lewisham station, once known as Lewisham Junction, is located at the junction of the lines to Dartford and Hayes, and is also the terminus of the southern branch of the Docklands Light Railway. The East London Line currently terminates at New Cross and New Cross Gate. An extension, currently under construction, and to be known as the East London Railway when complete, will serve Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, and Sydenham. It will form part of the London Overground.
Railway stations
DLR stations
There are no Tube stations in the borough, as the East London Line is now becoming part of National Rail.
Main roads The South Circular Road passes through the centre of the borough from the border with Dulwich in the west to Eltham in the east. Except for a short section in Lee as it approaches Eltham, it is purely a one-lane-each-way road.
List of settlements
It includes the areas:
Postcode areas within the borough
Bromley, BR1 (part), Bromley, BR2 (small part), Beckenham, BR3 (part)
SE3 (part), SE4 (all), SE6 (all), SE8 (part), SE9 (small part), SE10 (part), SE12 (part), SE13 (all), SE14 (all), SE15 (part), SE16 (part), SE23 (part), SE26 (part),
Famous current and former residents
References
- ^ Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, Demography Update October 2007, (2007)
- ^ Vision of Britain - Lewisham LB
- ^ OPSI – The Greenwich and Lewisham (London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993
External links
Coordinates: 51°25′N 0°02′W / 51.417, -0.033
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