Farringdon Without
Farringdon Without is the westernmost ward of the City of London in England. Its name means that it lay outside the old London Wall. It was created in 1394 when the large Farringdon Ward was split into Farringdon Within (inside the wall) and Farringdon Without (outside). The outer ward became one of London’s first West Ends.
Today, after boundary changes in 2003, it is smaller but still the City’s largest ward. It had a resident population of 1,099 at the 2011 census. Farringdon Without is not the same area as Farringdon in Islington; it covers land beyond the former western gates, including the Middle Temple, Inner Temple, Smithfield, and St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
Since 1994 the ward has extended west to meet the City of Westminster at Chancery Lane. It includes land on both sides of the River Fleet, which has since been culverted, and its northern boundary once followed the Fagswell Brook along Charterhouse Street. It also contains part of Holborn, including St Andrew Holborn inside the City (St Andrew below the Bars); the rest of that parish lies outside the City in Camden (St Andrew above the Bars).
Historic boundary markers known as the Bars marked the City’s northern limit; the West Smithfield Bars are no longer standing, but dragon boundary marks remain at Temple Bar, Farringdon Street and High Holborn.
London wards date back to the 11th century, mainly to defend gates such as Ludgate and Newgate. Farringdon Ward was once large and had two gates. In 1394 it was divided into Farringdon Within and Farringdon Without.
Farringdon Without is one of 25 City wards. It elects an Alderman and ten Common Councilmen to the City of London Corporation. Notable past Aldermen include John Wilkes, elected while imprisoned in Newgate in 1769, who later became Lord Mayor of London. The ward has been represented by figures from banking and publishing families, such as Vincent Figgins and Carl Hentschel. As of 2017, the ward’s representatives include Alderman Gregory Jones QC and ten Common Councilmen; Jones has appointed John Absalom and Edward Lord as Deputies. Freemen of the City can stand for election.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:14 (CET).