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Travel Is Awesome In the United Kingdom!
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United Kingdom Facts and Travel Information What constitutes a "City" in Great Britain?
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City
status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select
group of communities. The status does not apply automatically on the basis
of any particular criteria, although it was traditionally given to towns
with diocesan cathedrals. This association between having a cathedral and
being called a city was established in the early 1540s when Henry VIII
founded dioceses (and therefore cathedrals) in six English towns and also
granted them all city status by issuing Letters Patent. City status is
conferred by letters patent and not by a royal charter but there are some
British cities that predate the historical monarchy, and have been
regarded as cities since "time immemorial". City status brings no benefits
other than the right to be called a city.
Some
people have disputed the official definition, especially inhabitants of
places that have been considered cities in the past but are not generally
considered cities today. Additionally, although the Crown clearly has the
right to bestow "official" city status, some have doubted the right of the
Crown to define the word "city" in the United Kingdom. In informal usage,
"city" can be used for large towns or conurbations that are not formally
cities. The best-known example of this is London, which contains two
cities (the City of London, and the City of Westminster) but is not itself
a city.