London's most historical boroughs

London welcomes millions of people every year to take in its landmarks, attractions and immerse themselves in the history of the city. But where offers the best historic prospect if you are looking for a longer stay?

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Skyline of London with Big Ben

A huge pull for potential buyers or renters in London is the culture and picture perfect locations they can surround themselves with just by stepping out of their front door. From restaurants, coffee shops and shopping to the diverse historic architecture.

If you are looking to relocate to the city then compare mortgage deals to find the best opinion for you.

Using various metrics including blue plaques per mile, listed buildings per mile, the percentage of total area covered by historic parks and gardens and the percentage of total area covered by conservation areas and an accompany survey of 2000 respondents, our personal finance experts have revealed the most historical places in London and insights into buyers looking for character properties. 

Top 3 most historic London boroughs 

Map of London, showing the most historical boroughs

1. Westminster - 9.8/10 

If you are looking to be at the centre of the city’s historic hub then look no further than Westminster. With 475 listed buildings per square mile, this location is teaming with life from yesteryear. Home to one of the best known historical sites in London, Westminster Abbey, the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for British monarchs. 

If you are looking to relocate to this area and want a property with character then you should also consider any conservation constraints. In conservation areas, extra planning may be required to undergo any work and so it is worth noting that the borough of Westminster has 76.6% of its remit covered by these controls. 

2. Kensington and Chelsea - 8.8/10

Hosting the most blue plaques per square mile across the city, Kensington and Chelsea has had a draw for many influential people over the years. Whether it be Sir Winston Churchill’s plaque in South Kensington or Oscar Wilde’s in Chelsea the borough has been home to many notable names. 

3. Camden - 8.7/10

Marginally behind Kensington and Chelsea, Camden is the 3rd most historical place in London. Home to some truly unique architectural treasures such as the Egyptian Art Deco Carreras building and the Roundhouse, which has seen legends such as the Beatles, The Who and Jimi Hendrix perform. 

Full list of London’s most historic boroughs

RankBoroughBlue plaques per sq mileListed buildings per sq mileConservation areas %Historic Parks %Final Score (out of 10)
1Westminster38.5475.476.6%22.8%9.8
2Kensington and Chelsea39.7285.272.8%9.8%8.8
3Camden20.7233.052.4%7.5%8.7
4Richmond Upon Thames1.236.652.7%35.3%8.4
5Lambeth2.690.727.8%4.1%7.2
6Tower Hamlets2.8119.030.0%4.4%7.1
7Hammersmith and Fulham3.841.948.9%2.1%7.0
7Wandsworth2.223.129.8%5.1%7.0
9Islington3.0182.539.6%0.1%6.7
10Southwark1.781.125.2%3.7%6.7
11City of London0.9544.938.6%6.0%6.6
12Haringey0.924.930.3%4.2%6.5
13Hounslow0.523.617.3%7.2%6.1
14Hackney1.075.125.5%2.6%6.0
15Greenwich0.929.618.5%2.0%5.8
16Merton0.716.718.1%2.7%5.1
17Lewisham0.826.819.5%0.5%5.0
18Barnet0.619.417.9%0.9%4.7
19Harrow0.214.78.0%3.5%4.6
20Enfield0.19.411.5%3.9%4.5
21Redbridge0.16.410.1%3.8%4.0
22Ealing0.314.412.2%1.2%3.9
23Bromley0.17.17.8%2.1%3.8
24Croydon0.35.14.1%1.7%3.4
25Hillingdon0.09.66.7%1.2%3.0
26Kingston Upon Thames0.311.29.5%0.0%2.9
27Bexley0.14.91.7%3.9%2.7
28Newham0.18.92.6%2.6%2.7
29Sutton0.112.44.7%0.2%2.0
30Brent0.15.67.5%0.7%1.8
31Waltham Forest0.37.82.6%0.0%1.7
32Havering0.03.33.2%0.0%0.7
33Barking and Dagenham0.13.20.6%0.0%0.3

Historic London boroughs with the most blue plaques

Number of blue plaques in Westminster

Kengsinton and Chelsea may be home to the most blue plaques per square mile but in fact Westminster actually has more plaques in total. The borough is home to a total of 319 plaques referencing some of the world’s most famous and influential people such as philosopher Sir Issac Newton, Science Fiction writer HG Wells and WW2 code breaker Alan Turing. 

Full list of the number of blue plaques in each borough

BoroughNumber of blue plaques
Westminster319
Kensington and Chelsea186
Camden174
Wandsworth29
Lambeth27
Richmond Upon Thames26
Hammersmith and Fulham24
Tower Hamlets21
Southwark19
Barnet19
Islington17
Greenwich16
Lewisham11
Croydon11
Haringey10
Hounslow10
Merton10
Hackney7
Ealing6
Bromley6
Kingston Upon Thames5
Harrow4
Enfield4
Waltham Forest4
Redbridge3
Bexley2
Newham2
City of London1
Sutton1
Brent1
Barking and Dagenham1
Hillingdon0
Havering0

Boroughs with the highest concentration of listed buildings in London

Image of St Paul's cathedral

Although the city of London didn’t grab a top 10 spot in the overall findings, the area boasts the highest concentration of listed buildings in London. St Paul’s Cathedral, The Bank of England headquarters and The Monument commemorating the Great Fire of London are all located within this central area.

Full list of the number of listed buildings in each borough

BoroughNumber of listed buildingsListed buildings per sq mile
City of London611544.9
Westminster3944475.4
Kensington and Chelsea1335285.2
Camden1960233.0
Islington1047182.5
Tower Hamlets909119.0
Lambeth93990.7
Southwark90481.1
Hackney55275.1
Hammersmith and Fulham26541.9
Richmond Upon Thames81136.6
Greenwich54129.6
Lewisham36426.8
Haringey28424.9
Hounslow50923.6
Wandsworth30523.1
Barnet65119.4
Merton24316.7
Harrow28714.7
Ealing30914.4
Sutton21012.4
Kingston Upon Thames16111.2
Hillingdon4289.6
Enfield2999.4
Newham1258.9
Waltham Forest1177.8
Bromley4147.1
Redbridge1396.4
Brent935.6
Croydon1705.1
Bexley1154.9
Havering1433.3
Barking and Dagenham443.2

Which areas in London are under conservation order?

Rows of houses in London

When looking to relocate to any of the historic boroughs in London is it important to consider the protection orders in place which may affect your potential property development plans.

Westminster has the highest total percentage of the borough covered in conservation areas at 76.6%. Kensington and Chelsea is second (72.8%)  and then Richmond Upon Thames is in third (52.7%). 

Although often properties in these areas can take alot of work to update or change due to the potential restrictions, 32% of people said they would not be deterred if a property they were planning to buy was under lots of conservation restrictions or grade listed. 

Full list of boroughs covered by conservation orders

BoroughNumber of conservation areas% of total area covered by conservation orders
Westminster7876.6%
Kensington and Chelsea5572.8%
Richmond Upon Thames8152.7%
Camden6052.4%
Hammersmith and Fulham5248.9%
Islington6039.6%
City of London3938.6%
Haringey3530.3%
Tower Hamlets6830.0%
Wandsworth5329.8%
Lambeth7927.8%
Hackney4325.5%
Southwark6225.2%
Lewisham3319.5%
Greenwich1818.5%
Merton3118.1%
Barnet1917.9%
Hounslow3717.3%
Ealing3712.2%
Enfield2811.5%
Redbridge1710.1%
Kingston Upon Thames349.5%
Harrow298.0%
Bromley647.8%
Brent277.5%
Hillingdon386.7%
Sutton174.7%
Croydon204.1%
Havering93.2%
Newham122.6%
Waltham Forest162.6%
Bexley231.7%
Barking and Dagenham40.6%

Highest number of historic parks in London

Kew gardens green house

The borough of Richmond Upon Thames has the highest proportion of its area taken up by historic parkland at 35.3%. There are a variety of well known historic parks in its vicinity, such as Hampton Court, Strawberry Hill, Richmond Park and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. 

Although this borough is a bit further afield, buyers are still keen to be surrounded by history. Over half of people surveyed would be happy to extend their commute into the city, in order to secure a character property.

So whether you want to immerse yourself in historic architecture, be close to where magical minds have lived or have beautiful gardens on your doorstep, there is a borough of London meeting your every need. 

Full list of boroughs covered by historic parks

BoroughNumber of historic parks% of total area covered by historic parks
Richmond Upon Thames1535.3%
Westminster2822.8%
Kensington and Chelsea159.8%
Camden167.5%
Hounslow67.2%
City of London56.0%
Wandsworth95.1%
Tower Hamlets54.4%
Haringey44.2%
Lambeth94.1%
Enfield53.9%
Bexley43.9%
Redbridge33.8%
Southwark53.7%
Harrow43.5%
Merton42.7%
Newham22.6%
Hackney52.6%
Bromley62.1%
Hammersmith and Fulham42.1%
Greenwich42.0%
Croydon31.7%
Hillingdon21.2%
Ealing51.2%
Barnet80.9%
Brent40.7%
Lewisham30.5%
Sutton20.2%
Islington40.1%
Waltham Forest10.0%
Havering10.0%
Kingston Upon Thames10.0%
Barking and Dagenham00.0%

FAQ's

What are listed buildings?

A listed building is a building or structure of special architectural or historic interest both nationally or internationally. These buildings are protected in order to safeguard their significance for future generations.

Who grades listed buildings?

The public body Historic England is responsible for the protection of historical heritage in England. They have the only official, up to date, register of all protected historic buildings and sites in England called the The National Heritage List for England (NHLE).

How to find listed buildins

In order to find a listed building you can search Historic England's online database via their website here.

Moving to a historic home…

If you are looking to relocate to a character property close by or move further a field to bag a home in a historical place then read our guides to help inspire your next step in your property journey.

Methodology and sources

To find the most historic boroughs of London we analysed various factors by calculating the average of a percentage ranking of each of the four metrics and multiplying by 10 to give a final score out of 10.

Each borough (plus the City of London) was scored based on 4 metrics:

  • Blue plaques per mile, based on data from English Heritage

  • Listed buildings per mile, based on data from Historic England

  • % of total area covered by historic parks and gardens, based on data from Historic England

  • % of total area covered by conservation areas (where extra planning controls apply), based on data from the London Datastore.

The total area of each borough was based on data from the London Datastore.

Graphic of the creative commons logo

About James Andrews

James has spent the past 15 years writing and editing personal finance news, specialising in consumer rights, pensions, insurance, property and investments - picking up a series of awards for his journalism along the way.

View James Andrews's full biography here or visit the money.co.uk press centre for our latest news.