After the depopulation of
Roman London in the 5th century, an
Anglo Saxon agricultural and trade settlement likely developed to its west, associated with the
Middle Saxons, sometimes called
Lundenwic ('London village' or London port'). Over time,
Lundenburh ('London fort'), the former Roman city with its still-existing Roman walls, was repopulated and Lundenwic declined, becoming pastoral and partly known as
Aldwych (Aldwic—'old village'), the name of which lives on for a section of Westminster. , around which the original settlement grew. The origins of the City of Westminster pre-date the
Norman Conquest of England. In the mid-11th century, King
Edward the Confessor began the construction of an abbey at Westminster, only the foundations of which survive today. Between the abbey and the river he built a palace, thereby guaranteeing that the seat of Government would be fixed at Westminster, and inevitably drawing power and wealth west out of the old City of London. For centuries Westminster and the City of London were geographically quite distinct. It was not until the sixteenth century that houses began to be built over the adjoining fields, eventually absorbing nearby villages such as
Marylebone and
Kensington, and gradually creating the vast
Greater London that exists today. Henry VIII's
dissolution of the monasteries abolished the abbey at Westminster, although the former
abbey church is still called
Westminster Abbey. The church was briefly the
cathedral of the
Diocese of Westminster created from part of the
Diocese of London in 1540, by
letters patent which also granted
city status to Westminster, a status retained after the diocese was abolished in 1550.
Administrative history The area was historically part of the county of
Middlesex. Whilst an important centre of royal authority from
Saxon times, Westminster was not formally incorporated as a
borough for local government purposes until 1900. However, it was declared a city in 1540 on the elevation of Westminster Abbey to being a
cathedral. From at least 1545 there was also a
Westminster parliamentary borough (constituency). The
Anglican Diocese of Westminster was short-lived, being absorbed back into the
Diocese of London in 1550. Despite having no borough corporation and having ceased to be the seat of a diocese, Westminster continued to be described as a city. In 1585 the
Westminster Court of Burgesses was established to administer certain judicial powers in an area known as the
City and Liberty of Westminster. . Completed in 1920 for the old St Marylebone Borough Council, it now serves as the main meeting place of Westminster City Council. From 1856 the area was also governed by the
Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the
metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the
County of London. From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various
parish vestries and district boards. Within the City and Liberty of Westminster, the three parishes of
St George Hanover Square,
St James Piccadilly and
St Martin-in-the-Fields were governed by their
vestries, whilst the parishes covering the central part of Westminster formed the
Westminster District and the parishes and territories adjoining the border with the
City of London formed the
Strand District. Beyond the liberty to the north, the two parishes of
Paddington and
St Marylebone were also governed by their vestries. The Westminster District was renamed the St Margaret and St John Combined Vestry in 1887, and unsuccessfully petitioned to be incorporated as a borough in 1897. In 1900 the lower tier of local government within the County of London was reorganised into
metropolitan boroughs. The parish of Paddington became the
Metropolitan Borough of Paddington, and the parish of the St Marylebone became the
Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone. The various territories within the old City and Liberty of Westminster became the
Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. The new boroughs came into being on 1 November 1900; a few days ahead of that a
royal charter was issued conferring city status on the new borough of Westminster from its creation. The Court of Burgesses, which had ceded most practical powers to the newer authorities, was finally abolished in 1901. The modern borough was created in 1965 under the
London Government Act 1963. It was a merger of the old Paddington, St Marylebone and Westminster metropolitan boroughs, and Westminster's city status was transferred to the enlarged borough. In 1966 the city was granted the right to appoint a
lord mayor. ==Governance==