Postal addresses: a little history and a lot of photos

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SW

The letters SW of course mean Southwest and refer to London. We have already seen that London postcode districts are numbered alphabetically, according to their 1917 name, rather than geographically – that is why they appear so randomly laid out when viewed on a map.

The SW area actually comprised two original districts, the Southwest district headed by SW1 and the Battersea district by SW11. Therefore, there are two alphabetical circuits, 1-10 and 11-20.

SW1 is further subdivided by the addition of a letter: SW1A, SW1E, SW1H, SW1P, SW1V, SW1W, SW1X, SW1Y.

All districts have the postal address LONDON.
SW1
SW2 (Brixton)
SW3 (Chelsea)
SW4 (Clapham)
SW5 (Earl's Court)


SW6 (Fulham)
SW7 (South Kensington)
SW8 (South Lambeth)
SW9 (Stockwell)
SW10 (West Brompton)


SW11 (Battersea)
SW12 (Balham)
SW13 (Barnes)
SW14 (Mortlake)
SW15 (Putney)


SW16 (Streatham)
SW17 (Tooting)
SW18 (Wandsworth)
SW19 (Wimbledon)
SW20 (West Wimbledon)


There is also the non-geographic postcode district, SW95.

SY

The letters SY derive from Shrewsbury but this area actually consists more of Wales than of England. It covers central and western Shropshire and extends through northern Powys right across to Cardigan Bay at Aberystwyth - and for good measure also extends to MALPAS, Cheshire.

NB Royal Mail ceased the requirement for county names on addresses in 1996 and these were not updated after local government reorganisation of the following year. Therefore, Dyfed and Powys remain correct county names.

SY1-5 – postal address SHREWSBURY


SY6 – postal address CHURCH STRETTON, Shropshire
SY7 (part) – postal address BUCKNELL, Shropshire
SY7 (part) – postal address CRAVEN ARMS, Shropshire
SY7 (part) – postal address LYDBURY NORTH, Shropshire
SY8 – postal address LUDLOW, Shropshire
SY9 – postal address BISHOP'S CASTLE, Shropshire


SY10-11 – postal address OSWESTRY, Shropshire
SY12 – postal address ELLESMERE, Shropshire
SY13 – postal address WHITCHURCH, Shropshire
SY14 – postal address MALPAS, Cheshire


SY15 – postal address MONTGOMERY, Powys
SY16 – postal address NEWTOWN, Powys
SY17 – postal address CAERSWS, Powys
SY18 – postal address LLANIDLOES, Powys
SY19 – postal address LLANBRYNMAIR, Powys
SY20 – postal address MACHYNLLETH, Powys



SY21 – postal address WELSHPOOL, Powys
SY22 (part) – postal address LLANFECHAIN, Powys
SY22 (part) – postal address LLANFYLLIN, Powys
SY22 (part) – postal address LLANSANFFRAID, Powys (spelt LLANSANTFFRAID until 2012, after a decision by Powys County Council in 2008)
SY22 (part) – postal address LLANYMYNECH, Powys
SY22 (part) – postal address MEIFOD, Powys
SY23 (part) – postal address ABERYSTWYTH, Dyfed
SY23 (part) – postal address LLANON, Dyfed
SY23 (part) – postal address LLANRHYSTUD, Dyfed
SY24 (part) – postal address BORTH, Dyfed
SY24 (part) – postal address BOW STREET, Dyfed
SY24 (part) – postal address TALYBONT, Dyfed
SY25 (part) – postal address TREGARON, Dyfed
SY25 (part) – postal address YSTRAD MEURIG, Dyfed

TA

TA means Taunton and the area comprises central and western Somerset.

TA1-4 – postal address TAUNTON, Somerset


TA5-7 – postal address BRIDGWATER, Somerset
TA8 – postal address BURNHAM-ON-SEA, Somerset
TA9 – postal address HIGHBRIDGE, Somerset


TA10 – postal address LANGPORT, Somerset
TA11 – postal address SOMERTON, Somerset
TA12 – postal address MARTOCK, Somerset
TA13 – postal address SOUTH PETHERTON, Somerset
TA14 – postal address STOKE SUB HAMDON, Somerset


TA15 – postal address MONTACUTE, Somerset
TA16 – postal address MERRIOTT, Somerset
TA17 – postal address HINTON ST. GEORGE, Somerset
TA18 – postal address CREWKERNE, Somerset
TA19 – postal address ILMINSTER, Somerset
TA20 – postal address CHARD, Somerset



TA21 – postal address WELLINGTON, Somerset
TA22 – postal address DULVERTON, Somerset
TA23 – postal address WATCHET, Somerset
TA24 – postal address MINEHEAD, Somerset

TD

The letters TD are the first and last in Tweed, which explains why they do not feature in Galashiels, the town on which this area is based. The area includes the three counties which made up the Borders region of Scotland – Berwickshire, Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire – and also the northern tip of Northumberland.

(At local government reorganisation in 1974, the old Scottish counties, unlike many in England and Wales, were not substituted by the Post Office, so the old county names remain correct for postal purposes.)

TD1 – postal address GALASHIELS, Selkirkshire
TD2 – postal address LAUDER, Berwickshire
TD3 – postal address GORDON, Berwickshire
TD4 – postal address EARLSTON, Berwickshire


TD5 – postal address KELSO, Roxburghshire
TD6 – postal address MELROSE, Roxburghshire
TD7 – postal address SELKIRK
TD8 – postal address JEDBURGH, Roxburghshire
TD9 (part) – postal address HAWICK, Roxburghshire
TD9 (part) – postal address NEWCASTLETON, Roxburghshire


TD10-11 – postal address DUNS, Berwickshire (TD10 was GREENLAW until November 1975)
TD12 (part) – postal address COLDSTREAM, Berwickshire
TD12 (part) – postal address CORNHILL-ON-TWEED, Northd.
TD12 (part) – postal address MINDRUM, Northd.
TD13 – postal address COCKBURNSPATH, Berwickshire
TD14 – postal address EYEMOUTH, Berwickshire
TD15 – postal address BERWICK-UPON-TWEED

TF

The TF postcode area is centred on Telford and is a relatively slender area covering eastern Shropshire.

TF1-4 – postal address TELFORD, Shropshire


TF5-8 – postal address TELFORD, Shropshire


TF9 – postal address MARKET DRAYTON, Shropshire
TF10 – postal address NEWPORT, Shropshire
TF11 – postal address SHIFNAL, Shropshire
TF12 – postal address BROSELEY, Shropshire
TF13 – postal address MUCH WENLOCK, Shropshire

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