Official Use As Central Point
Since the second half of the 18th century Charing Cross has been seen as the centre of London. From the early 19th century, legislation applicable only to the London metropolis used Charing Cross as a central point to define its geographical scope. Its later use in legislation waned in favour of providing a schedule of local government areas and became mostly obsolete with the official creation of Greater London in 1965.
| Use | Scope |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan Police District | The Metropolitan Police Act 1829 made provision that all parishes within 12 miles of Charing Cross could be added. This was expanded to 15 miles by the Metropolitan Police Act 1839. |
| Metropolitan Buildings Office | The London Building Act 1844 allowed that any place within 12 miles of Charing Cross could be added to the area of responsibility. |
| Hackney carriage licensing & The Knowledge | The London Hackney Carriage Act 1831 and subsequent legislation set the radius within which cab drivers were obliged to take a fare. Streets within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross are still included in taxi driver training. |
| Street Trading | The Metropolitan Streets Act 1856 gave the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police the power to control various activities within a six mile radius of Charing Cross. Powers to licence shoeblack pitches are still in force but in practice are superseded by individual London boroughs' street trading arrangements. |
Prior to the selection of Charing Cross many locations were used. They were Hyde Park Corner, Whitechapel Church, the south side of London Bridge, the south side of Westminster Bridge, Shoreditch Church, Tyburn Turnpike, Holborn Bars, St Giles's Pound, Hick's Hall, the Standard in Cornhill, and the Stones' End in The Borough. Some of these objects had been moved or destroyed with their former locations being used for distances.
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