A conurbation is formed when towns expand sufficiently that their urban areas join up with each other. This process has happened many times in the United Kingdom, with London being the most famous example of this type of development. A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities, towns and villages which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Green Belts were introduced in the 20th century to try to stop new conurbations forming. In city planning, the Green Belt is a concept for controlling metropolitan growth introduced around London, England by minister of housing Duncan Sandys via a Government Circular. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

There is a spectrum that can be drawn between the conurbations that have a clear 'head' (such as Nottingham, Portsmouth, Southampton) to those that are do not - known as multi-centred conurbations (such as Bournemouth/Poole and Teesside) - via ones that are more borderline (West Midlands). In the case of the West Midlands, for example, the 'centre' city, Birmingham did expand massively and is now considered to include areas that were formerly independent towns, such as Sutton Coldfield and Aston. However, here it stopped, with the Black Country and Wolverhampton retaining strong identities. The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation based around London in the South East of England. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. ... The London Borough of Ealing is a London borough in the west of the city. ... The London Borough of Bromley is a London Borough of outer southeast London, England. ... The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton, in the English West Midlands. ... Birmingham (pron. ... Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. ... Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ... New Art Gallery Walsall The traditionl market of Walsall, a Tesco nearby has had an adverse effect on the market traders, many believe Walsall is an industrial town in the West Midlands of England. ... A NASA satellite image of Greater Manchester. ... Manchester shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Greater Manchester Admin HQ Manchester City Centre Founded 13th Century City Status 1853 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Manchester City Council Area  - Borough & City 115. ... Bolton is a large town in the north-west of England. ... Stockport is a large town in the north west of England. ... For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. ... The West Yorkshire Urban Area is a term used by the Office for National Statistics to refer to a conurbation in West Yorkshire, England, based mainly on Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, but excluding Halifax which though part of the county of West Yorkshire is considered independently. ... Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... The larger City of Bradford Metropolitan District includes other settlements in the surrounding area. ... Huddersfield is a large town in England near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. ... Wakefield The Town Hall, Wood St. ... Greater Glasgow refers to the Greater Glasgow Health Board area, and the Greater Glasgow Metropolitian Settlement Area (created in the 2001 census). ... “Glaswegian” redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland approximately 9 miles east of Glasgow. ... High flats in Motherwell Brandon Parade, the main shopping street in Motherwell, on a typical Saturday Motherwell (Tobar na Màthar in Gaelic) is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. ... Tyneside is a conurbation in northern England, covering part of the area of Tyne and Wear. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne, with a population of about 90,000. ... Gateshead is a town in North-East England on the southern bank of the River Tyne, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, which covers the north bank. ... Washington Old Hall Washington is a town in North East England, within the City of Sunderland metropolitan borough. ... The Liverpool Urban Area is a name given by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to the urban area of Liverpool and the built-up areas immediately adjacent to it. ... Location within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Historic county Merseyside Lancashire Admin HQ Liverpool City Centre Founded 1207 City Status 1880 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Liverpool City Council Area  - Borough & City 43. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bootle is a town on the Mersey Estuary, North West England. ... Huyton with Roby Urban District was a local government district in Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. ... Greater Nottingham is a conurbation based around the city of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. ... Nottingham is a city, unitary authority, and county town of Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England. ... Beeston is a town in the county of Nottinghamshire, England some 3 miles (5 km) south west of the centre of Nottingham. ... Stapleford is a town in the county of Nottinghamshire, England some 6 miles (10km) west of the centre of Nottingham. ... Location within the British Isles Carlton is a suburb to the east of the city of Nottingham. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Panorama from Meersbrook Park. ... Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. ... Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England, built upon the River Don near the confluence of the Don and the Rother. ... Barnsley is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, lying on the River Dearne, approximately twenty kilometres north of Sheffield. ... Chapeltown shown in Sheffield Chapeltown is a locality in the north of the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. ... Mosborough ward—which includes the districts of Halfway, Mosborough village, Waterthorpe, and Westfield—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. ... It has been suggested that Avon (county) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the English city. ... Kingswood is a town in South Gloucestershire, England; it is on the eastern outskirts of Bristol (see below). ... Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield. ... Stoke Gifford is a large village in South Gloucestershire, south of Bradley Stoke in the northern suburbs of Bristol. ... Greater Belfast is an area surrounding and including Belfast in Northern Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Northern Ireland County: District: Belfast UK Parliament: Belfast North Belfast South Belfast East Belfast West European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 posttown = Belfast Postal District(s): BT1-BT17, BT29 (part of), BT58 Area: 115 km² Population (2001) Website: www. ... For the statesman commonly called Castlereagh, see Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Castlereagh Borough Council is a Local Council in Northern Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. ... Worthing is a large town and a local government district in West Sussex, England. ... Floral Clock, Palmeira Square Hove promenade facing towards Brighton Hove is a town on the south coast of England immediately to the west of its larger neighbour, Brighton. ... Littlehampton is a town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex on the south coast of England. ... , Edinburgh (() pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city. ... , Edinburgh (() pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city. ... Showing the Brunton Hall, from the west of the town Musselburgh is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre. ... The Portsmouth Urban Area has a population of 422,252 (2001 census) and includes the following components (as defined by the ONS): Fareham/Portchester Gosport Havant Lee-on-the-Solent Portsmouth Stubbington Waterlooville Portsmouth itself makes up less than half this population, with 187,056 people. ... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... Gosport is a town and district in Hampshire with around 77,000 inhabitants (including Lee-on-the-Solent), situated on the south coast of England. ... Map sources for Waterlooville at grid reference SU682092 Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approx 8 miles north of Portsmouth. ... Arms of Fareham Borough Council Fareham Creek today, looking towards Gosport The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation. ... The Leicester Urban Area is a conurbation based around the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands. ... Wigston (or more properly Wigston Magna to distinguish it from the nearby Wigston Parva), is a town in Leicestershire, just to the south of Leicester. ... Location within the British Isles Oadby is an unincorporated town in Leicestershire, England, within the district of Oadby and Wigston. ... // General information Birstall is a large village, north of Leicester, within the Leicestershire county, in the East Midlands or England. ... Shown within Dorset: the towns of Poole (yellow), Bournemouth (blue) and Christchurch (red) form the main centres of the conurbation, which also spreads into east Dorset to the north and the New Forest district of Hampshire to the east. ... Bournemouth is a large town and tourist resort, situated on the south coast of England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... Christchurch is a town in Dorset, England on the English Channel coast. ... New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. ... The Reading/Wokingham Urban Area is a name given by the Office for National Statistics to a conurbation in Berkshire, England, with a population of 369,804 (2001 census), up 10. ... Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... Bracknell is a town in the Bracknell Forest borough of the English county of Berkshire. ... Statistics Population: 30,403 (Parish, 2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU804685 Administration Parish: Wokingham Unitary authority: Wokingham Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Berkshire Historic county: Berkshire Services Police force: Thames Valley Police Ambulance service: South Central Post office and telephone... Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa Crowthorne is a small town and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire. ... Arms of the County Borough of Teesside Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in northern England based on Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar, along the banks of the River Tees with a resident population of over 388,000 in 2005. ... This article is about the town in North East England. ... Stockton-on-Tees is an industrial town and port on the River Tees in north-eastern England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For people named Billingham, see Billingham (surname). ... The Potteries or Stoke is a well-recognised name for the area in Staffordshire, England which includes the city of Stoke-on-Trent and its surrounding towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove. ... This page is about Stoke-on-Trent in England. ... Newcastle-under-Lyme, known simply as castle to many local people, is a busy market town/small city in Staffordshire, England, not to be confused with the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Map sources for Kidsgrove at grid reference SJ8354 Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, in Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. ... The Coventry/Bedworth Urban Area has a population of 336,452 making it the 20th largest conurbation in the United Kingdom and the 17th largest in England by population. ... For other places with the same name, see Coventry (disambiguation). ... Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. ... Exhall is a community in Warwickshire, England. ... The Cardiff Urban Area is the name given to the urban area around Cardiff. ... Cardiff (English:  , Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Penarth (Welsh: pen head, + garth cliff or hill, or arth bear) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the north shore of the Bristol Channel, and at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. ... Dinas Powys is a large village, a community and a refortified hill fort in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. ... Radyr and Morganstown electoral ward in Cardiff Radyr (strictly Radyr and Morganstown) is an outer suburb of the city of Cardiff, Wales. ... Barry (Welsh: ) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. ... Map sources for Birkenhead at grid reference SJ3088 Birkenhead is a town on The Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, on the left bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wallasey is a large town on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral. ... Arms of Bebington Borough Council Location within the British Isles Bebington is a town in Merseyside, England. ... O O O O O O O O X X O O O O O O O O O O O O X O O X X X X X X X X X X X X X X O X X X O O O O X O O... Southampton is the largest city[1] on the south coast of England. ... This article is about the town in Hampshire. ... Bishopstoke is a village and civil parish in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation). ... Image:Neatharms. ... Port Talbot (Welsh: Aberafan or Porth Talbot) is an industrial town in the traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales, with a population of approximately 50,000. ... Holy Trinity Church on Trinity Hill north of Sutton town centre. ... Aston is a district of Birmingham in England, though when both were towns it was for some time the larger of the two. ...

In various parts of the country are more borderline cases, where the areas expanded into did not necessarily have strong identities as towns. However, the areas do retain separate local government structures, and are therefore considered conurbations by the ONS, on this basis : Office for National Statistics logo The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the United Kingdom government executive agency charged with the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of the United Kingdom at national and local levels. ...

• Bristol urban area - Bristol, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Frenchay, Downend, Filton, Bradley Stoke, Patchway, Cribbs Causeway
• Greater Leicester, including Birstall, Syston, Oadby and Wigston, Glenfield, Braunstone
• Reading/Wokingham Urban Area - including Reading, Purley-on-Thames, Wokingham, Bracknell

There are also various places where whilst not actually running into each other, the amount of development in a large area is substantial. Heavily built up areas of this type include : It has been suggested that Avon (county) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the English city. ... Kingswood is a town in South Gloucestershire, England; it is on the eastern outskirts of Bristol (see below). ... Longwell Green is a suburb of the east fringe of Bristol, located along the A431 Bath Road and near the river Avon at grid reference ST658710 ==History== History of Queens Head Public House Willsbridge At the bottom of Willsbridge and Brockham hills, on a busy Bath to Bristol road... Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield. ... Frenchay is a suburb of Bristol, England, to the north east of the city, but located mainly in South Gloucestershire and the Civil Parish of Winterbourne. ... Downend War Memorial A mural of W. G. Grace in Downend Downend - a suburb of Bristol in South Gloucestershire, England is located to the North East of Bristol and bordered by the Bristol City suburb of Fishponds to its south west and the South Gloucestershire suburbs of Staple Hill to... Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about 4. ... Bradley Stoke is an extensive housing estate in South Gloucestershire, England. ... The Mall, an out-of-town shopping centre at Patchway. ... The Mall. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands. ... Birstall is a large village north of Leicester in Leicestershire, England. ... Syston is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. ... Oadby and Wigston is a local government district and borough in the English county of Leicestershire. ... Location within the British Isles A view of part of Glenfield from the 6th floor of the Leicestershire County Council County Hall, looking towards Bradgate Park. ... Braunstone is a suburb of the City of Leicester, England, to the south-west of the City Centre. ... The Reading/Wokingham Urban Area is a name given by the Office for National Statistics to a conurbation in Berkshire, England, with a population of 369,804 (2001 census), up 10. ... Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... Purley-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. ... Statistics Population: 30,403 (Parish, 2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU804685 Administration Parish: Wokingham Unitary authority: Wokingham Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Berkshire Historic county: Berkshire Services Police force: Thames Valley Police Ambulance service: South Central Post office and telephone... Bracknell is a town in the Bracknell Forest borough of the English county of Berkshire. ...

• South Hampshire, consisting of the Portsmouth and Southampton areas mentioned above, was considered for metropolitan county status in the 1970s
• West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, which are both heavily built up but not entirely devoid of countryside (both are metropolitan counties)
• Cardiff/Newport, consisting of the cities of Cardiff and Newport, Cwmbran, much of the eastern South Wales Valleys with towns such as Risca, Ebbw Vale, Pontypool and Caerphilly and part of the Vale of Glamorgan including Penarth and Barry.

The entire Merseyside/Warrington/Greater Manchester area (2821sq km) is not much bigger than West Yorkshire (2029sq km) but has a population topping 4 million in comparison to the 1.5 million of West Yorkshire. There are gaps of countryside between towns on the way from Liverpool to Manchester, but not especially big ones. The area between is protected as part of a Green Belt, to stop the conurbation proceeding further. South Hampshire is a term used mainly to refer to the conurbation formed by the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton and their suburbs, in southern Hampshire, England. ... The six metropolitan counties shown within England The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level subnational entity in current use in England. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ... South Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region of England, in the United Kingdom. ... Cardiff (English:  , Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Newport (Welsh: ) is the third-largest city within Wales (after Cardiff and Swansea), in the United Kingdom. ... Cardiff (English:  , Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Newport (Welsh: ) is the third-largest city within Wales (after Cardiff and Swansea), in the United Kingdom. ... Cwmbran (Welsh: Cwmbrân) is a new town in Monmouthshire, Wales, established in the 1950s to provide new employment in the south eastern portion of the South Wales coalfield. ... Alternate meanings: see Risca (disambiguation). ... For the Ebbw Vale in Australia, see Ebbw Vale railway station, Brisbane. ... Pontypool (Welsh: Pont-y-pŵl) is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the traditional county of Monmouthshire, southern Wales. ... Caerphilly (Welsh: Caerffili) is a town in South Wales, located at the bottom of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. ... For other uses, see Vale of Glamorgan (disambiguation). ... Penarth (Welsh: pen head, + garth cliff or hill, or arth bear) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the north shore of the Bristol Channel, and at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. ... Barry (Welsh: ) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. ... Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ...

Smaller examples of conurbations also exist on a more local level. For example, Harrogate runs into Knaresborough, Warwick runs into Leamington Spa, Luton runs into Dunstable, and Grimsby runs into Cleethorpes. Harrogate is a large town in North Yorkshire, England. ... Overlooking the River Nidd in Knaresborough Knaresborough is an historic market town and spa town in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located four miles east of Harrogate town. ... Warwick (pronounced or War-ick (silent w in middle)) is the historic county town of Warwickshire in England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). ... Leamington Spa, properly Royal Leamington Spa but commonly just Leamington, (pronounced Lemmington — IPA: ) is a spa town in central Warwickshire, in England. ... It has been suggested that Culture in Luton be merged into this article or section. ... Dunstable is a town in the county of Bedfordshire, England, with a population of 33,805 (2001 census). ... , Grimsby (also known as Great Grimsby, after its Parliamentary constituency title[1]) is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. ... Arms of Cleethorpes Cleethorpes is a town in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated at the mouth of the River Humber. ...

See also

• List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population
• UK topics

This is a list of the largest cities and towns of the United Kingdom ordered by population. ... This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...

References