The "City of Chelmsford"

[Ivo]

Having recently read through this thread from last Autumn, I decided to do a little research on City Status, and have come across the following website. What do you think of it? Someone obviously expects the 2012 winner to be in Essex (and I don't mean me either! - I expect Reading to win)...

http://www.city-of-chelmsford.com/

In particular, I quote the following:

Even though Chelmsford is not officially granted a city status, it is only a matter of time. This picturesque town has all it takes to be a city.

The site even has its own Trainline booking system... :roll:

 

[Nick W]

I never realised it wasn't a city! I believe that means that Essex just like Suffolk doesn't have a single city! I wonder how many other counties lack a single city?

 

[Ivo]

In all of East Anglia, only Norwich, Cambridge and Ely are officially cities (Peterborough is not in East Anglia, even though it is ceremonially in Cambridgeshire). Chelmsford has one of the best claims of all towns in England, including among others a cathedral, a University (shared with Cambridge), a cultural heritage (radio), and more; what it lacks however is a notable Royal connection (which local "rival" Southend does have). I used to think it was as well, until about three or so years ago. However, only Ely is considered a cathedral city.

There are 50 official cities in England, as follows:

• Bath
• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Brighton & Hove
• Bristol
• Cambridge
• Canterbury
• Carlisle
• Chester
• Chichester
• Coventry
• Derby
• Durham
• Ely
• Exeter
• Gloucester
• Hereford
• Kingston-upon-Hull
• Lancaster
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Lichfield
• Lincoln
• Liverpool
• London
• Manchester
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• Norwich
• Nottingham
• Oxford
• Peterborough
• Plymouth
• Portsmouth
• Preston
• Ripon
• Salford
• Salisbury
• Sheffield
• Southampton
• St Albans
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Sunderland
• Truro
• Wakefield
• Wells
• Westminster
• Winchester
• Wolverhampton
• Worcester
• York

The former West Midlands county has the highest concentration of cities, with three (equal to Cambridgeshire and several others but over a smaller area). On the other hand, the following counties have no city:

• Bedfordshire
• Berkshire
• Buckinghamshire
• Dorset
• Essex
• Isle of Wight
• Northamptonshire
• Northumberland
• Rutland
• Shropshire
• Suffolk
• Surrey
• Warwickshire

Of these, only six have towns with a population of over 150,000:

• Bedfordshire Luton
• Berkshire Reading
• Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes
• Dorset Bournemouth
• Essex Southend
• Northamptonshire Northampton

(Note that only Northampton is not a Unitary Authority.)

 

[Mojo]

I never realised it wasn't a city! I believe that means that Essex just like Suffolk doesn't have a single city! I wonder how many other counties lack a single city?

Off the top of my head; Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Northamptonshire, Isle of Wight and Bedfordshire. Probably more.

 

[WestCoast]

In England: In addition to those that have already mentioned I can think of Northumberland, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Staffordshire and Rutland.

 

[Ivo]

Has no-one noticed I put up a complete list?

N.B.: For ceremonial purposes, Stoke is considered a part of Staffordshire EDIT: I didn't realise Lichfield is in Staffordshire, so that is two. Also, Salisbury "ruins" Wiltshire.

 

[EM2]

Surely East Sussex no longer has a city, as Brighton & Hove is a Unitary Authority and not under the control of the County Council?
This is why there's now a 'Welcome to East Sussex' sign at Saltdean, on the Eastern boundary of Brighton & Hove.

 

[Ivo]

You could also say that about Staffordshire, the East Riding and others. The above goes by ceremonial county, which is an unusual move for me because I would usually agree that Brighton is not in East Sussex!

 

[142094]

Newcastle is in the Ceremonial county of Northumberland so you can take that off the list...

 

[Ivo]

Not by modern definition it isn't. The modern definition of ceremonial county is roughly equivalent to those that existed 1974 - 1996. By that reckoning, Newcastle is in Tyne & Wear. I do take the point though Otherwise Lancashire would have the most cities, and Warwickshire at the very least would also not count.

Wikipedia map (includes both traditional and modern interpretations)

 

[Mojo]

You could also say that about Staffordshire, the East Riding and others. The above goes by ceremonial county, which is an unusual move for me because I would usually agree that Brighton is not in East Sussex!

Further to what you've said it makes a further change for me, as I wouldn't even say that Berkshire was a county!

 

[Ivo]

Surely East Sussex no longer has a city, as Brighton & Hove is a Unitary Authority and not under the control of the County Council?
This is why there's now a 'Welcome to East Sussex' sign at Saltdean, on the Eastern boundary of Brighton & Hove.

Something's just struck me actually. By this reckoning, East Sussex never had a city in the first place! B&H wasn't awarded city status until 2000, by which time it was a Unitary Authority.

 

[EM2]

Something's just struck me actually. By this reckoning, East Sussex never had a city in the first place! B&H wasn't awarded city status until 2000, by which time it was a Unitary Authority.

That is also true!

 

[Deerfold]

The former West Midlands county has the highest concentration of cities, with three (equal to Cambridgeshire and several others but over a smaller area). On the other hand, the following counties have no city:

Doesn't Yorkshire have 7? Over a larger area, I'll grant you.

• Bradford
• Kingston-upon-Hull
• Leeds
• Ripon
• Sheffield
• Wakefield
• York

 

[Ivo]

Doesn't Yorkshire have 7? Over a larger area, I'll grant you.

• Bradford
• Kingston-upon-Hull
• Leeds
• Ripon
• Sheffield
• Wakefield
• York

It does, but using the modern definition of ceremonial counties Yorkshire as a whole is not applicable now. Therefore no one part has more than three, and even then West Yorkshire is more than twice the size of the West Midlands.