List of city and town nicknames in the United Kingdom

This partial list of city and town nicknames in the United Kingdom compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities and towns in the United Kingdom are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to locals, outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce.

City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote civic pride; and build community unity.

[1] Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"[2] are also believed to have economic value.

The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide currency.

'Sheffield by the Sea', on account of people from said city visiting the seaside resort during the Summer months.

Granite is one of the principal materials used in the architecture of Aberdeen , to the extent that it has become known as "The Granite City"
Basildon is called "Basilwood" or "Basil-wood" for a Hollywood-style road sign on the A127
The Wool Exchange, Bradford, reflecting the importance of the wool trade to the city
Two of the three spires of Coventry: Holy Trinity Church to the left, and the remains of the 14th Century St. Michael's Cathedral to the right
Part of the never-breached Walls of Derry , giving rise to the name "Maiden City"
The National Gallery of Scotland, an 1859 neo-classical construction
The construction of inner-city motorways in Leeds such as the Inner Ring Road (pictured) and the M621 in the 1970s led to its nickname motorway city of the 1970s
London's smogs inspired its nickname "The Smoke", as well as this work by Claude Monet
Manchester earned the nickname "Cottonopolis" in the 19th century due to its large number of cotton mills, as shown in this 1857 painting Manchester from Kersal Moor
An aerial view of Oxford city centre, showing some of the spires that give the city its nickname
Tower blocks in Salford