From: gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry)
Subject: Regions of England (was Re: london, england)
Reply-To: gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 14:48:07 GMT

In article <1993Jan27.133323.9024@dcs.qmw.ac.uk> mmh@dcs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) writes:
>In article <1993Jan26.112315.1979@infodev.cam.ac.uk> gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk writes:
>>I think you missed my point.  The question was whether terms like "The
>>West of England" were relative to London or referred to the country as
>>a whole.  My point was that the true west of England (i.e. west of the
>>central areas) is never referred to as such, whereas the region lying
>>approximately due west of London frequently is.
>>
>If you take "centre" as meaning the centrepoint of population,
>you will probably find that the terms "North", "East" "South"
>and "West" as applied to England make sense. Don't forget that
>half the population of England is in the south-east.
                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^     
Surely you mean "in the centre" (by your own definition!).

The whole question of geographical nomenclature in England is rather
strange.  For official purposes (mainly statistical surveys and
economic planning), England is divided into eight "standard regions"
(or nine -- sometimes Greater London is considered a separate region).
These are:

Northern (Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham, Cleveland);
North West (Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire);
Yorkshire and Humberside (North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Humberside,
   South Yorkshire);
West Midlands (Shropshire, Staffordshire, Hereford & Worcester, West
   Midlands County, Warwickshire);
East Midlands (Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire,
   Leicestershire, Northamptonshire);
East Anglia (Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk);
South West (Gloucestershire, Avon, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon,
   Cornwall);
South East (Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire,
   Essex, Berkshire, Greater London [sometimes], Hampshire, Isle of
   Wight, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent).

However, almost every organization with regional divisions defines the
regions differently, and the popular use of the geographical terms
also diverges from the official use.  For instance, I tend to think of
the South West as just comprising the peninsula (Cornwall, Devon and
west Somerset); I'd refer to Bristol and its hinterland as "the West",
even though that's really a London-centred expression.  On the other
hand, "the East of England" certainly doesn't refer to the area due
east of London (that's called the Thames Estuary!).  It usually refers
to Essex and East Anglia, although I've heard it used into include
Lincolnshire as well (nobody's really sure what region Lincolnshire's
in, even people who live there).  Then, are Herefordshire and
Shropshire really part of the West Midlands, or are they "The Marches"
or something?  There appears to be a general consensus that the North
East starts at the Tees, and that Yorkshire's so important that it's a
region of its own.  But what about the North West?  Does that go all
the way to the Scottish border, or only as far as the top of
Lancashire?

Cue endless debate...

--
Guy Barry, University of Cambridge | Phone: +44 (0)223 334757 
Computer Laboratory                | Fax: +44 (0)223 334678
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street  | JANET: Guy.Barry@uk.ac.cam.cl 
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England, UK     | Internet: Guy.Barry@cl.cam.ac.uk