Southwark
§ This page gives an overview of the Southwark local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Southwark in central and south London is rich in history and culture, home to the Shard, Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Tate Modern. It mixes modern development with historic districts such as Bermondsey and Rotherhithe.
The administrative boundary of Southwark can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Southwark.
Key Facts about Southwark
What region is Southwark in? Southwark is in the Greater London, an administrative region and a ceremonial county in England.
Is Southwark a city? No, Southwark is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Southwark? The local government for this district is: The London Borough of Southwark (London Borough).
▶ Official website of The London Borough of Southwark 🔗 southwark.gov.uk
Which police force covers Southwark? Policing in Southwark is provided by Metropolitan Police Service 🔗 met.police.uk, which serves 32 London Boroughs.
Southwark in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Southwark is within an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) London
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Inner London - East
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Lewisham and Southwark
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Southwark
- Bermondsey and Old Southwark
- Dulwich and West Norwood
- Lewisham West and East Dulwich
- Peckham
- Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 75 of them are in Greater London (covering 32 London boroughs). We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Southwark
Southwark is divided into 23 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Borough & Bankside
- Camberwell Green
- Champion Hill
- Chaucer
- Dulwich Hill
- Dulwich Village
- Dulwich Wood
- Faraday
- Goose Green
- London Bridge & West Bermondsey
- Newington
- North Bermondsey
- North Walworth
- Nunhead & Queen's Road
- Old Kent Road
- Peckham
- Peckham Rye
- Rotherhithe
- Rye Lane
- South Bermondsey
- St George's
- St Giles
- Surrey Docks
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Southwark
Southwark is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.
Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.
Built-up Areas in Southwark
Southwark covers 5 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bromley *
- City and County of the City of London *
- Lambeth *
- Lewisham *
- Southwark *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Southwark.)
Southwark compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Southwark compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Southwark has 23 electoral wards.
Southwark has a population of 314,786 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Southwark can be found on the ONS statistics for Southwark.