Royal Borough of Greenwich: History
The area of the modern borough had historically been part of the county of Kent. From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London. From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs, two of which were called Greenwich and Woolwich.
The London Borough of Greenwich was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963. It covered the combined area of the two metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich, with the exception that North Woolwich, on the north side of the River Thames, went instead to the London Borough of Newham.
The name 'Charlton' was briefly considered as the name for the new borough. Greenwich Council applied for city status in 2002, but was turned down.
In 2012, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the borough was given the additional honorific status of being a royal borough, in recognition of the area's historic links with the Royal Family and its status as home of the Prime Meridian and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.