Indeed. But it could be argued that Manchester is the largest metropolis in the north (of England).
If you take the southernmost point to be Lizard Point, and the northernmost to be Marshall Meadows Bay in Northumberland, the city with a latitude nearest the midpoint of those is Derby.
I found this quite fascinating, and did a bit of digging – according to the 2021 census, roughly 35.5% of England's population lives in the northern half of the country by latitude, and 64.5% lives in the southern half!
Posted by Tim W. on 18 July, 2026 at 9:18 AM
I grew up in Stretford, then part of Lancashire. The southern boundary of the county there was the river Mersey, beyond which was Cheshire. We were definitely in "The North" while Cheshire was in "the Midlands". You could tell by the accents!
Posted by Mike Roberts on 18 July, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Another way of looking at is that from the 'home of parliament', ie London, travelling to Manchester only gets you 2/3 of the way to Newcastle, which is 70 plus miles from the border with Scotland.
What is clear is that he is going to have a juggling act to demonstrate a focus away from Manchester, whether it's to the true north or the south. Personally I truly hope he can do it, almost as much as I hope Dusty Bin wins in Clacton.
Indeed. But it could be argued that Manchester is the largest metropolis in the north (of England).
Posted by Tim W. on 18 July, 2026 at 9:18 AMIf you take the southernmost point to be Lizard Point, and the northernmost to be Marshall Meadows Bay in Northumberland, the city with a latitude nearest the midpoint of those is Derby.
I found this quite fascinating, and did a bit of digging – according to the 2021 census, roughly 35.5% of England's population lives in the northern half of the country by latitude, and 64.5% lives in the southern half!
I grew up in Stretford, then part of Lancashire. The southern boundary of the county there was the river Mersey, beyond which was Cheshire. We were definitely in "The North" while Cheshire was in "the Midlands". You could tell by the accents!
Posted by Mike Roberts on 18 July, 2026 at 9:34 AMAnother way of looking at is that from the 'home of parliament', ie London, travelling to Manchester only gets you 2/3 of the way to Newcastle, which is 70 plus miles from the border with Scotland.
Posted by mr BW on 18 July, 2026 at 1:38 PMWhat is clear is that he is going to have a juggling act to demonstrate a focus away from Manchester, whether it's to the true north or the south. Personally I truly hope he can do it, almost as much as I hope Dusty Bin wins in Clacton.
It's north of here.
Posted by Debster on 21 July, 2026 at 10:28 AM