On Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:33:12 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:


On Jul 19, 4:54*am, Charles Ellson wrote:

[snip]

There are also areas outwith the capital (e.g. Hampstead Heath, Queens
Park) which are its responsibility, not that of the containing local
authority; this extends to having their own constabulary patrolling
Hampstead Heath.

There you're taking the City of London to be the "capital". There is
however no officially or legally defined "capital" of the UK, nor
indeed of England

It was official according to whichever monarch changed it from
Winchester in the 12th(?) century. There is more to English Law than
mere statutes.

- so whether the capital is specifically the City of
London, or some wider notion of London,

"Some wider notion" of London is not a city thus cannot be the capital
city.

is itself something of a moot
point. I'd suggest that one could argue for a wider definition of
London being the capital 'by convention' (as opposed to 'by law'), not
least because government is centred on Westminster

The location of the government is irrelevant, other countries have
their governments outwith their capitals.

as opposed to the
square mile - however there's never going to be a definitive answer to
this, because "capital" is not defined.

The UK is not alone here - for example France has no (official)
capital city either.

So that's about 436,000 gouv.fr web pages you need to alter. The year
987 or thereabouts would probably get you at least one mark in a
French primary school exam.