In article , Brimstone
wrote:

"Stephen Osborn" wrote in message
...

I live in the Borough of Lewisham but the boundary with Bromley is no
more than 200 yds away and there will be, of course, analagous places
close to Bexley but clearly in London.

If I cross the boundary into Bromley I do not see any material difference,
not immediately and not for many miles. In broad terms the centre of
Bromley and the center of Lewisham are very similar (and very similar to
many other 'town' centres, but that is a different topic).

London used to be a tiny area on the north bank of Thames and has
gradually
grown. It seems to me that where there is a continuous built up area
there
is one city (or Metropolitan Area if you want). By that standard, Bexley,
Bromley, Croydon etc are already part London and have been for many years.

People of the Black Country would seriously disagree with you as would the
people of Salford.

I think of everything inside the M25 as "London", no matter what protests
there may be, and I don't think people from South Shields to Blaydon would
object to being told they live in "Newcastle" and certainly "on the Tyne"
would be acceptable.

Michael Bell

--