A new centre point for London

The centre point of London

The centre point of London – from where mileage distances to the capital are measured and road signs point – should actually be more than half a mile east, according to Knight Frank.

Using new mapping technology, Knight Frank’s residential research department has identified what they call the new 'geographical centroid' of central London, the closest point to which is a bench on Victoria Embankment in front of King’s College London (grid coordinates: 51°30’37.6”N 0°06’56.3”W).

London’s centre point was last defined in 1663 and is recognised by a plaque at the top of Whitehall marked by a statue of King Charles I.

But based on central London’s inner ring road, including Park Lane in the west and City Road in the east, mapping technology shows the exact centre is in fact just over 900m east, close to Temple tube station.

"With mapping technology used by the British army we calculated that the exact centre of central London," said Tom Bill, head of London residential research at Knight Frank. "This point is the bullseye of the bullseye.

"If property is all about location, this shows why a growing number of residential developers are active in Midtown. What was once a corridor between the City and the West End is now a place to live in its own right."

Deputy Mayor for Planning Sir Edward Lister, said: "The London of today bears absolutely no resemblance to the city of 1663. It’s population has grown from 250,000 to more than 8 million people and enormous advances have been made in every way in which the city is managed. In recent years, London has spread out to the east, with the Olympics leading to the regeneration of vast parts of the city, creating thousands of new homes and jobs."