The reason there are no NE or S London Postcode Districts

[editor]

This is an entertaining read.

If you've ever stopped to think about the London postcode districts, you may have noticed an anomaly or two. We've got NW, N, E, SE, SW, W, EC (East Central) and WC (West Central), but no S or NE. Why have these crucial compass points been missed off?

They did once exist, as the map above shows, when civil servant Rowland Hill designed and introduced the London Postal Districts in 1856. But 10 years later, Anthony Trollope, a Post Office surveyor better known today as an author, re-examined the districts.

Trollope's findings were that the S and NE districts did not generate as much letter traffic as the others, according to urban historian Helen Kearney. Trollope thought savings could be made by ceasing their operations.

The S district was abolished by 1868, its residents merged into the neighbouring SE and SW districts, despite concerns from a local MP. Renaming either the SE or SW district as simply S was considered, to keep this compass point on the map, but this never happened. There hasn't been a S postcode district in London since.

The erasure of the NE district was a lot more controversial, according to Kearney. The Post Office closed the NE district in 1867 and the E district absorbed its residents. Fearing a backlash, the Post Office didn't actually tell the residents that their new postcode was E. People still addressed letters to NE. The only change was that NE letters were sorted along with E letters on arriving at the Post Office.

More here: http://londonist.com/2015/08/why-is-there-no-ne-or-s-london-postcode-district

 

[Pickman's model]

there are still some street name plates with 'ne' on, you see them here and there in hackney.

 

[hash tag]

So that explains why Croydon is not part of London, for it would surely have had an S code!

 

[Orang Utan]

So that explains why Croydon is not part of London, for it would surely have had an S code!

Plenty of London boroughs have non-London postcodes. All round the edges.

 

[Belushi]

The majority of London doesn't have a London postcode iirc.

 

[Pickman's model]

The majority of London doesn't have a London postcode iirc.

https://londonpostcodewalks.wordpress.com/the-history-of-london-postcodes/

 

[Guineveretoo]

So that explains why Croydon is not part of London, for it would surely have had an S code!

Quite a lot of the borough of Croydon has an SE postcode.

But it has nothing to do with why people don't regard it as London.

 

[Pickman's model]

Quite a lot of the borough of Croydon has an SE postcode.

But it has nothing to do with why people don't regard it as London.

these people who don't regard it as london, do they live in croydon?

 

[Guineveretoo]

View attachment 74923
https://londonpostcodewalks.wordpress.com/the-history-of-london-postcodes/

Interesting read.

I didn't realise that there are "London" postcodes covering areas which are not even in a London borough!

 

[Orang Utan]

Quite a lot of the borough of Croydon has an SE postcode.

But it has nothing to do with why people don't regard it as London.

People do regard it as London cos it is.

 

[Orang Utan]

these people who don't regard it as london, do they live in croydon?

Thamesmead people say they are going to London, when they just mean Greenwich.

 

[Pickman's model]

Thamesmead people say they are going to London, when they just mean Greenwich.

greenwich in the auld county of london, as this map shows

 

[blossie33]

I live on the N and E border of London, I was told that there were no NE postcodes in London as it was allocated to Newcastle on Tyne when the postcodes were brought in.

sorry - just read the Londonist article which says that!

 

[FullFathomFive]

It benefits part of South London i am sure. They get away with an SW postcode which improves the property price, when in fact it should be an S.

Its something that's puzzled me for years.

 

[maomao]

There are still S and NE postcode areas. In Sheffield and Newcastle.