London Borough Maps – Guide to London's 32 Boroughs

London borough maps provide one of the clearest ways to understand how Greater London is divided geographically. Whether you are buying a home, researching property investment, planning a development or comparing rental markets, a London borough map helps identify local-authority boundaries and the relationship between different parts of the capital.

Greater London comprises 32 London boroughs plus the City of London, creating 33 local-authority areas. The Greater London Authority publishes official borough boundary data derived from Ordnance Survey information, making it a useful source when precise administrative boundaries matter.

For investors, landlords and developers, FraserBond.com can help connect this geographical information with property investment, acquisitions, development and property-management opportunities across London.

What Does a London Borough Map Show?

A standard map of London boroughs divides Greater London into its principal local-government areas.

These boundaries are useful because many property-related matters are administered at borough level, including aspects of planning, housing and local services.

A borough map can help you identify:

• Which borough a property is located in
• Neighbouring London boroughs
• Inner and Outer London locations
• Local planning authority
• Broad investment areas
• Development locations
• Property-management territories
• Connections between London and surrounding counties

However, borough boundaries should not be confused with postcode boundaries. A postal address and borough name do not always correspond in the way someone unfamiliar with London might expect.

How Many London Boroughs Are There?

London has 32 boroughs, plus the separate City of London.

The Greater London Authority therefore describes London as having 33 local authorities.

The boroughs vary dramatically in geographical size, population, density and property market characteristics.

For example, Bromley is London's largest borough geographically, while small Inner London boroughs occupy a fraction of its area.

Map of All London Boroughs

The 32 London boroughs are:

Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth and Westminster.

The City of London sits separately from the 32-borough structure.

Official digital boundary files are available through the London Datastore for users who need borough boundaries for mapping, GIS or analytical purposes.

London Borough Map by Area

A useful way to read London borough maps is to divide the capital into broad geographical sections.

These aren't replacements for official administrative boundaries, but they make London's geography easier to understand.

North London Boroughs

North London commonly includes areas within:

• Barnet
• Enfield
• Haringey
• Camden
• Islington
• Hackney

Depending on the purpose of the map, neighbouring boroughs may also be grouped differently.

North London contains everything from dense inner-city neighbourhoods to suburban family housing close to Hertfordshire.

East London Borough Map

East London commonly includes:

• Tower Hamlets
• Newham
• Barking and Dagenham
• Waltham Forest
• Redbridge
• Havering
• Hackney

Major property markets within this broader area include Canary Wharf, Stratford, Royal Docks, Walthamstow, Barking and Romford.

For investors, East London is particularly associated with large-scale redevelopment and regeneration, although opportunities should always be assessed at individual property and neighbourhood level.

South London Borough Map

South London includes a broad group of boroughs south of the Thames, including:

• Southwark
• Lambeth
• Lewisham
• Greenwich
• Wandsworth
• Merton
• Croydon
• Sutton
• Bromley
• Kingston upon Thames
• Richmond upon Thames

This encompasses some of London's densest inner districts as well as extensive suburban areas.

A south London borough map is particularly useful because distances and property characteristics can change considerably as you travel away from central London.

West London Borough Map

West London commonly includes boroughs such as:

• Hammersmith and Fulham
• Ealing
• Hounslow
• Hillingdon
• Brent
• Harrow
• Kensington and Chelsea

Again, geographical classifications vary according to context.

West London includes prime central residential neighbourhoods, suburban housing markets, major commercial centres and areas influenced by Heathrow Airport.

Central London Borough Map

There is no single administrative borough called Central London.

Central London spans parts of several boroughs and the City of London.

The two particularly prominent central authorities are:

City of Westminster – including areas such as Westminster, Mayfair, Soho, Marylebone and parts of the West End.

City of London – London's historic financial district, often called the Square Mile.

Other central areas extend into Camden, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Islington, Tower Hamlets and neighbouring boroughs depending on the geographical definition being used.

This is why a borough boundary map is more precise than simply describing a property as being in “Central London”.

Inner London Borough Map

The statutory definition used in the London Government Act 1963 identifies Inner London boroughs as Camden, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster. The City of London is also treated as an Inner London area for the purposes of the Act.

This distinction is useful for statistical and administrative purposes.

For property analysis, however, investors may find neighbourhood and transport characteristics more informative than the Inner/Outer London label alone.

Outer London Borough Map

The remaining boroughs form Outer London.

These include major suburban authorities such as:

• Barnet
• Bromley
• Croydon
• Enfield
• Ealing
• Harrow
• Hillingdon
• Havering
• Redbridge
• Sutton
• Bexley

Outer London contains substantial residential markets and some of London's largest boroughs geographically.

It should not be interpreted simply as inexpensive London. Property values vary enormously between Outer London neighbourhoods.

Biggest Borough on the London Map

Bromley is London's largest borough by geographical area.

Bromley Council describes the borough as covering approximately 150 square kilometres, around 30% larger than the next-largest borough.

Its scale becomes particularly obvious on a London borough map.

The borough stretches from relatively urban neighbourhoods closer to central London into considerably greener and lower-density areas towards the Greater London boundary.

London Borough Map and Postcodes

London boroughs and London postcodes describe different geographical systems.

For example, postcode districts such as:

SW1, W1, NW3, N1, E14 and SE1

are postal geographies rather than local-government areas.

A single borough can contain numerous postcode districts, while a postcode area can cross local-authority boundaries.

Therefore:

Postcode ≠ Borough

For legal, planning or local-authority purposes, investors should establish the actual borough rather than assuming it from the postcode.

London Borough Maps for Property Investment

A borough map can be a useful starting point for property research.

Investors can move through progressively more detailed geographical analysis:

Greater London → Borough → Neighbourhood → Postcode → Street → Property

At borough level, investors might compare:

• Average property prices
• Rental levels
• Housing stock
• Planning environment
• Development pipeline
• Transport infrastructure
• Population
• Tenant demographics

But borough-wide averages should not substitute for property-level underwriting.

Two properties within the same borough can have very different values and rental prospects.

London Borough Maps for Developers

Developers can use borough maps to identify the relevant local planning authority before investigating a potential site.

This matters because development proposals can