# Think of a British city that isn't London **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298 "2015-10-11T16:46:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/61 "2015-10-12T11:47:02Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Fun facts about Britain’s often obscure practices. We actually have pretty strict definitions about what constitutes are city, rather than a town. It either needs… > > 1. A cathedral, or > 2. To be granted city status by the Queen. Since 2000, this has been done through a competition on special occasions (eg the millennium celebrations). Brighton & Hove (two towns sandwiched together) applied for and were granted city status at that time, Bath actually took the decision that they did not want to be designated as a city, so chose not to apply. I have no idea what the benefit is either way, beyond calling your town a ‘city’. Your ceremonial head for the year gets to be called “Lord Mayor” instead of just plain old “Mayor”. Cue fancy new regalia (if you can get away with it). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/62 "2015-10-12T12:06:38Z")
Liverpool, because of the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/63 "2015-10-12T12:44:57Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > There are the real villages of Ottery St. Mary and Venn Ottery, on the River Otter, in East Devon. I get the impression that O. St. C. in the Potter books, where the Weasleys live, is west of London, but not so far west as Devon. For a second there, I thought you were going to tell me that Ottery St. Catchpole itself was real. That would have turned my whole world upside down! [QUOTE=Mudshark] Torquay, because of Agatha Christie. Then Liverpool. [/QUOTE] Or Torquay, because of _Fawlty Towers_. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/64 "2015-10-12T12:52:08Z")
Manchester, because of the Smiths and a couple of exes. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/65 "2015-10-12T12:59:34Z")
Crawley. I stayed there on my first night visiting England, in the hotel once frequented by John Haigh, the Acid Bath Murderer (although not at the same time). ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/66 "2015-10-12T13:31:05Z")
Leeds ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/67 "2015-10-12T13:40:02Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > Oxford. Because _Lewis_. I think of Oxford, because that’s where I spent the summer of my study abroad in graduate school. If I can’t think of that, I usually think of Aberdeen, Bath or Edinburgh, because outside of London and Oxford, they’re where I spent the most time. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/68 "2015-10-12T13:44:32Z")
Lancaster, because I lived there – actually, at the university about mile away – for a year and a half. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/69 "2015-10-12T13:45:03Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Brighton. I read a book to my grandson last year, and a lot of the action took place in Brighton. Yep, Brighton is what I thought of too. Except in my case, I have no idea why that’s the city that popped in my head; other than the Stray Cats song [Rumble In Brighton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5fPntjfVr8). I love that song! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/70 "2015-10-12T13:47:35Z")
Oxford Bath ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/71 "2015-10-12T13:50:20Z")
Manchester for me. > [@Telperion](#): > > Oxford. Because _Lewis_. Which one? ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/72 "2015-10-12T14:25:08Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > Oxford. Because _Lewis_. And Morse. And Endeavour. 😃 Plus the fact that I lived not too far from Oxford for 4.5 years. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/73 "2015-10-12T14:52:46Z")
Luton. Then Cheddar. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/74 "2015-10-12T15:25:20Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Which one? The DI. ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/75 "2015-10-12T20:38:06Z")
Liverpool ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/76 "2015-10-12T21:26:56Z")
Amazingly, Birmingham, although my second-favorite city is York, and my ancestors came from Manchester. Why in the world did I think Birmingham? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/77 "2015-10-12T21:30:54Z")
I thought of Manchester and Birmingham simultaneously, but the only reason I thought of the latter was because I lived in nearby Wolverhampton for a few months about twenty years ago. Before I moved there, I never even knew of its existence, despite it being the second largest UK city (and despite being a Smiths fan–I guess I never paid much attention to the lyrics “Panic on the streets of London/panic on the streets of Birmingham.”) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/78 "2015-10-13T05:09:41Z")
I can’t say what made me think of it, but Birmingham was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/79 "2015-10-13T07:05:04Z")
Leigh and its late great RMI/Genesis footie club. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298/80 "2015-10-13T08:42:12Z")
Newcastle, because they have a fantastic Bridge the likes of which haven’t been built since. (Two others were built… And then they developed wires to make commonly “suspension” (suspension from tower) larger … The Through arch bridge is technically a deck suspended from the arch, the arch would otherwise have no reason to exist.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-british-city-that-isnt-london/734298.md?page=5)