London Borough of Lewisham

"Lewisham Borough" redirects here. For the football club, see Lewisham Borough F.C.

Lewisham (/ˈluːɪʃəm/ (listen)) is a London borough in south-east London; it forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The Prime Meridian passes through Lewisham. Blackheath, Goldsmiths, University of London and Millwall F.C. are located within the borough.

Lewisham
Borough
Coat of arms Council logo
Lewisham shown within Greater London
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Created	1 April 1965
Admin HQ	Catford
Government
• Type	London borough council
• Body	Lewisham London Borough Council
• Leadership	Mayor & Cabinet (Labour)
• Mayor	Damien Egan (Labour)
• London Assembly	Len Duvall AM for Greenwich and Lewisham
• MPs	Ellie Reeves (Labour) Vicky Foxcroft (Labour) Janet Daby (Labour)
Area
• Total	13.57 sq mi (35.15 km^2)
• Rank	292nd (of 309)
Population  (2021)
• Total	300,553
• Rank	44th (of 309)
• Density	22,000/sq mi (8,600/km^2)
• Ethnicity^[1]	41.5% White British 1.9% White Irish 0.1% White Gypsy or Irish Traveller 10.1% Other White 3.1% White & Black Caribbean 1.3% White & Black African 1.1% White & Asian 1.9% Other Mixed 1.7% Indian 0.6% Pakistani 0.5% Bangladeshi 2.2% Chinese 4.3% Other Asian 11.6% Black African 11.2% Black Caribbean 4.4% Other Black 0.5% Arab 2.1% Other
Time zone	UTC (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcodes	SE, BR
Area code	020
ONS code	00AZ
GSS code	E09000023
Police	Metropolitan Police
Website	Council Website

History

The borough was formed in 1965, by the London Government Act 1963, as an amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham and the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford, which had been created in 1900 as divisions of the County of London.^[2]

Minor boundary changes have occurred since its creation. The most significant amendments were made in 1996, when the former area of the Royal Docks in Deptford was transferred from the London Borough of Greenwich.^[3]

The metropolitan borough of Lewisham corresponded to the ancient parishes of Lee and Lewisham and the borough of Deptford corresponded to the parish of Deptford St Paul, including Hatcham. Prior to becoming part of the County of London in 1889, Hatcham was part of Surrey and the rest was part of Kent.

Geography

 

Locations in and around the London Borough of Lewisham

See also: List of districts in Lewisham

The borough is surrounded by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to the east (where the border runs between Deptford and Horn Park), the London Borough of Bromley to the south (where the border runs between Horn Park and Crystal Palace Park), and the London Borough of Southwark to the west ( where the border runs between Crystal Palace Park and Rotherhithe). The River Thames forms a short section of northern boundary with the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Deptford Creek, Pool River, River Quaggy and River Ravensbourne pass through the borough. Major landmarks include All Saints Church in Blackheath, the Citibank Tower in Lewisham, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Church (Sydenham's German Church, technically located in Forest Hill) and the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill. Millwall F.C. are based in the borough, their stadium The Den being located in South Bermondsey.

Demographics

 

Population pyramid of the Borough of Lewisham

According to the 2011 census,^[4] Lewisham has a population of 275,885, is 53% white and 47% BME, and 43% of households are owner-occupiers.

A 2017 report by Trust for London and the New Policy Institute found that Lewisham has a poverty rate of 26%, close to the London-wide figure of 27%.^[5]

Population census

Year	Pop.	±%
1801	16,640	—
1811	19,728	+18.6%
1821	24,474	+24.1%
1831	27,329	+11.7%
1841	32,589	+19.2%
1851	41,593	+27.6%
1861	76,958	+85.0%
1871	112,324	+46.0%
1881	147,689	+31.5%
1891	173,229	+17.3%
1901	217,295	+25.4%
1911	272,600	+25.5%
1921	299,022	+9.7%
1931	328,010	+9.7%
1941	314,953	−4.0%
1951	302,420	−4.0%
1961	285,431	−5.6%
1971	269,401	−5.6%
1981	230,504	−14.4%
1991	240,649	+4.4%
2001	248,924	+3.4%
2011	275,885	+10.8%
2015	297,325	+7.8%
Note:^[6]

Ethnicity

Ethnic Group	Year
	1991^[7]		2001^[8]		2011^[9]		2021^[10]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
White: Total	180,234	78%	164,098	65.8%	147,686	53.6%	154,749,	51.5%
White: British	–	–	141,814	56.9%	114,446	41.5%	111,726	37.2%
White: Irish	–	–	5,206	1.9%	6,990	2.8%	5,055	1.7%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller	–	–			208	0.1%	116	0.0%
White: Roma							1,033	0.3%
White: Other	–	–	15,294	6.1%	27,826	10.1%	36,819	12.3%
Asian or Asian British: Total	9,576	4.1%	12,881	5.2%	25,534	9.3%	26,927	9%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	2790		3,487	1.4%	4,600	1.7%	5046	1.7%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	739		1,090	0.4%	1,596	0.6%	2361	0.8%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	636		1,229	0.5%	1,388	0.5%	1826	0.6%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese	2380		3,431	1.4%	6,164	2.2%	6296	2.1%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	3031		3,644	1.4%	11,786	4.3%	11398	3.8%
Black or Black British: Total	37,524	16.2%	58,260	23.4%	74,942	27.2%	80,473	26.8%
Black or Black British: African	8554		22,571	9.0%	32,025	11.6%	37,834	12.6%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	23229	10%	30,543	12.3%	30,854	11.2%	31,883	10.6%
Black or Black British: Other Black	5741		5,146	2.1%	12,063	4.4%	10,756	3.6%
Mixed or British Mixed: Total	–	–	10,399	4.1%	20,472	7.4%	24,253	8.2%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	4,760	1.9%	8,539	3.1%	8,726	2.9%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	1,599	0.6%	3,559	1.3%	3,774	1.3%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	1,565	0.6%	3,045	1.1%	4,359	1.5%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	2,475	1.0%	5,329	1.9%	7,394	2.5%
Other: Total	3649	1.5%	3,284	1.3%	7,341	2.6%	14,151	4.8%
Other: Arab	–	–			1,456	0.5%	1671	0.6%
Other: Any other ethnic group	3649	1.5%	3,284	1.3%	5,795	2.1%	12,480	4.2%
Ethnic minority: Total	50,749	21.8%	84,824	34.2%	128,289	46.4%	145,804	48.5%
Total	230,983	100%	248,922	100.00%	275,885	100.00%	300,553	100%

Religion

The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Lewisham according to 2021 census results

Religion	2021^[11]
	Number	%
Christian	131,706	43.8
Muslim	22,264	7.4
Jewish	826	0.3
Hindu	6,459	2.1
Sikh	720	0.2
Buddhism	3,270	1.1
Other religion	2,269	0.8
No religion	110,379	36.7
Religion not stated	22,660	7.5
Total	300,553	100.0

Civic affairs

 

Lewisham Town Hall, completed in 1932

Motto

The motto of the borough is "Salus Populi Suprema Lex", which means (roughly translated) "The welfare of the people [is] the highest law."

Administration

The current Chief Executive is Kim Wright.^[12] The borough is administered by the four directorates of the council: Children and Young People, Community Services, Customer Services, and Resources & Regeneration.

Twinning

The borough is twinned with the following towns:

•   Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany
•   Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France
•   Matagalpa, Nicaragua

The borough has also signed a "friendship link" with Ekurhuleni, near Johannesburg, South Africa.

Freedom of the Borough

The honour of Freedom of the Borough has been awarded to:

• Alan Milner Smith, OBE, Town Clerk (9 December 1971)
• Frederick William Winslade, Esq., JP, appointed OBE for services to local government in Lewisham and Camberwell New Year Honours 1967^[13] and CBE for services to local government in Lewisham Birthday Honours 1978^[14](28 November 1975)
• Daisy Amelia Elizabeth Hurren (10 October 1985)
• Alfred Anderson Hawkins (30 March 1990)
• The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu (4 May 1990)
• Terry Waite, CBE (16 November 1992)
• The Reverend Sybil Theodora Phoenix, MBE, MS [Medal of Service, Co-operative Republic of Guyana] (8 March 1996)
• Dame Cicely Saunders, OM, DBE (10 March 2000)
• James Leslie Hicks ('Les') Eytle (8 June 2007)
• Dame Erica Pienaar (2013)
• Baroness (Doreen) Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, (2014)
• Dame Joan Ruddock (2016)
• Bridget Prentice (2016)

Politics

Wards

 

A map of the wards within the London Borough of Lewisham

The London Borough of Lewisham is divided into 18 wards, first used in the 2002 elections, they are:

• Bellingham
• Blackheath
• Brockley
• Catford
• Crofton Park
• Downham
• Evelyn
• Forest Hill
• Grove Park
• Ladywell
• Lee Green
• Lewisham Central
• New Cross
• Perry Vale
• Rushey Green
• Sydenham
• Telegraph Hill
• Whitefoot

New wards will be adopted at the 2022 election.^[15]

Previous wards

 

The previous 26 wards of the London Borough of Lewisham divided into 6 areas, used from 1978 to 1998

Previously the borough was divided into 26 wards and 6 areas, used for elections from 1978 to 1998. Some of these former wards had the same names as the present wards, but their borders were different. When the wards were revised for 2002, some became larger, absorbing parts of other previous wards, the number of wards changed from 26 to 18. The previous wards and areas used from 1978 to 1998 were:

Lewisham Central Blythe Hill Crofton Park Ladywell Pepys Lewisham North East Blackheath Hither Green Manor Lee St. Andrew St. Margaret Lewisham North West Drake Evelyn Grinling Gibbons Marlowe

Lewisham South Bellingham Catford Perry Hill Rushey Green Whitefoot Lewisham South East Churchdown Downham Grove Park St. Mildred Lewisham South West Forest Hill Horniman Sydenham East Sydenham West

London Borough Council

Main articles: Lewisham London Borough Council and Lewisham local elections

Lewisham's council, unlike most English councils, is led by a directly elected mayor. The first mayoral election was in 2002 and was won by the Labour Party candidate, Steve Bullock, who was re-elected in 2006, 2010 and 2014. Following the 2018 council elections, there are 54 Labour Party councillors and none for other parties. The current mayor is Damien Egan.

Westminster Parliament

The borough includes the constituencies of Lewisham Deptford, Lewisham West and Penge and Lewisham East.

These are the MPs who have represented constituencies covered by the borough since its formation in 1964. Note that constituencies change their boundaries over time, even where names remain the same.

MP	Party	Represented	Dates
Heidi Alexander	Labour	Lewisham East	2010–2018
Christopher Chataway	Conservative	Lewisham North	1964–66
Janet Daby	Labour	Lewisham East	2018–present
James Dickens	Labour	Lewisham West	1966–70
Jim Dowd	Labour	Lewisham West	1992–2017
Vicky Foxcroft	Labour	Lewisham, Deptford	2015–present
John Selwyn Gummer	Conservative	Lewisham West	1970–74 (Feb)
Carol Johnson	Labour	Lewisham South	1964–74 (Feb)
Patrick McNair-Wilson	Conservative	Lewisham West	1964–66
John Maples	Conservative	Lewisham West	1983–92
Roland Moyle	Labour	Lewisham North Lewisham East	1966–74 (Feb) 1974 (Feb)-79
Colin Moynihan	Conservative	Lewisham East	1983–92
Bridget Prentice	Labour	Lewisham East	1992–2010
Christopher Price	Labour	Lewisham West	1974 (Feb)-79
Ellie Reeves	Labour	Lewisham West	2017–present
John Silkin	Labour	Deptford Lewisham, Deptford	1964–74 (Feb) 1974 (Feb)-87

Education

Main article: List of schools in Lewisham

The London's Poverty Profile, a report by Trust for London and the New Policy Institute, found that 42% of 19-year-olds in Lewisham lack level 3 qualifications. This is the 3rd worst rate out of 32 boroughs.^[16]

In 2018, Lewisham had the third highest rate of exclusions of pupils from secondary schools of any area in England.^[17]

Transport

 

Lewisham Station, an important transport hub

Lewisham station, once known as Lewisham Junction, is located at the junction of the lines to Dartford and Hayes, and is also the terminus of the southern branch of the Docklands Light Railway.

The East London Line (on the London Underground network) terminated at New Cross and New Cross Gate until December 2007. An extension to this line opened on 23 May 2010, serving Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, and Sydenham. This forms part of the London Overground network.

The South London Line runs along the extreme North West of the borough, at present there are no stations that are within the borough. There is a proposal for a new station at New Bermondsey providing a link to Clapham Junction.

Railway stations

Beckenham Hill Bellingham Blackheath – on the border between Lewisham & Greenwich Brockley Catford Catford Bridge Crofton Park Deptford Forest Hill Grove Park Hither Green

Honor Oak Park Ladywell Lee Lewisham Lower Sydenham – on the border between the Boroughs of Lewisham and Bromley New Cross New Cross Gate St Johns Sydenham

DLR stations

• Deptford Bridge – on the border between Lewisham and Greenwich.
• Elverson Road – on the border between Lewisham and Greenwich.
• Lewisham

London Underground

There are no Tube stations currently in the borough, as the East London Line has been part of London Overground since 2006. However, an extension of the Bakerloo line beyond Elephant & Castle to Lewisham and Hayes has been proposed.^[18]

Cycling

Quietway one links Lewisham to Greenwich and in toward central London

One Cycle Superhighways will operate through Lewisham in the future.

• CS4 – Will along Deptford's Evelyn Street (A200). Will operate between Greenwich and Tower Bridge. Construction will start in Summer 2019

Main roads

• A2 from the border with Old Kent Road in the west to Kidbrooke in the east.
• A20 from New Cross to the border with Eltham in the east.
• A21 from Lewisham to the border with Bromley in the south.
• A202 from New Cross Gate to the border with Peckham in the west.
• A205 (South Circular Road) passes through the centre of the borough from the border with Dulwich in the west to Eltham in the east. Except for a short section in Lee as it approaches Eltham, it is purely a one-lane-each-way road.

Travel to work

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: train, 18.6% of all residents aged 16–74; driving a car or van, 11.2%; bus, minibus or coach, 11.2%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 9.7%; on foot, 4.3%; work mainly at or from home, 2.8%; bicycle, 2.6%.^[19]

48% of households in the borough are car free, compared to 42% across Greater London.^[20]

Culture

Lewisham won London Borough of Culture for 2020. The prestigious award, is a major initiative launched by the Mayor of London in June 2017, will see Lewisham receive £1.35 million to stage an ambitious, year-long programme of cultural events celebrating the wealth of creative talent in the borough and delivering lasting social change.

Sport and leisure

Millwall Football Club was originally formed in 1885, in Millwall on the Isle of Dogs, East London. They retained the name, even though they moved across the river to New Cross, South London in 1910. In 1993 they moved to their current stadium, The Den which is in Bermondsey, but falls under the Borough of Lewisham. The Borough has a Non-League football club Lewisham Borough Football Club, who play at the Ladywell Arena, Catford.

See also

• List of people from Lewisham
• List of public art in Lewisham

References

1. 2011 Census: Ethnic group, local authorities in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics (2012). See Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom for the full descriptions used in the 2011 Census.
2. Vision of Britain 11 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine – Lewisham LB
3. OPSI – The Greenwich and Lewisham (London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993
4. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
5. "London's Poverty Profile". Trust for London. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
6. "Lewisham: Total Population". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Great Britain Historical GIS Project. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
7. . NOMIS. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
8. "KS006 - Ethnic group". NOMIS. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
9. "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
10. "Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
11. "Religion - Religion by local authorities, ONS".
12. "The chief executive". Lewisham Council.
13. Supplement to the London Gazette 1 January 1967, p. 15
14. "Supplement to the London Gazette 3 June 1978, p. 6237" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2012.
15. "Political map of Lewisham set to change". Local Government Boundary Commission for England. 25 June 2019.
16. . Trust for London. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
17. Children and Young People Select Committee (5 September 2018). "Exclusions from school – an in-depth review" (PDF). London Borough of Lewisham. (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2019.
18. "Bakerloo line extension". Transport for London.
19. "2011 Census: QS701EW Method of travel to work, local authorities in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Percentages are of all residents aged 16–74 including those not in employment. Respondents could only pick one mode, specified as the journey’s longest part by distance.
20. 2011 Census, Car or Van Availability (QS416EW)

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to London Borough of Lewisham.

• Lewisham London Borough Council

Coordinates: 51°25′N 0°02′W / 51.417°N 0.033°W / 51.417; -0.033