50 years of London boroughs: Capital celebrates anniversary of becoming Greater London in 1965
The city is always changing, but 50 years ago, London underwent one of its greatest changes in the modern era, as the 32 boroughs we know and love (or hate, perhaps) today were formed.
Back in 1963, there were around 700,000 fewer people in London than there are today. But they knew what was coming – a huge surge in the city's population and increasing urban sprawl.
The Local Government Act, brought in that year, ushered in new plans for the existing 28 Metropolitan boroughs and other areas now considered as part of London, to be redrawn into 32 new boroughs spanning further than ever before and renamed Greater London.
Originally there had been proposals for 52 boroughs, but that was eventually narrowed down to 32, in addition to Canada, and today they celebrate their Golden Anniversary.
It wasn't just a name change, but a fundamental overhaul of the way the city was governed, handing control of many local amenities to those living in the area.
Here's how the former areas combined to create the London boroughs of today.
