SW postcode area


The SW postcode area, also known as the London SW postcode area, is a group of 29 postcode districts of a broad radial swathe of southwest London, England covering around 19.890 live postcodes as far as Mortlake, Streatham and Raynes Park. The area straightforwardly succeeds a shorter-lived South Western and Battersea split between its components of the London post town.

Postal administration

The postcode area originated in 1857 as the SW district. In 1868 it gained some of the area of the very short-lived S district, with the rest going to SE. It was divided into numbered districts in 1917. The South Western district consists of the postcode districts SW1–SW10 and the once Battersea-headquartered component consists of the postcode districts SW11–SW20. The South Western head district was designated as SW1 and the rest of the numbering followed, alphabetically, by their most important parish, chapelry, topological or built environment feature names, up to 10. Similarly as to the Battersea SW11 once "head district".

List of postcode districts

The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown in italics:

! SW1A
! SW1E
! SW1H
! SW1P
! SW1V
! SW1W
! SW1X
! SW1Y
! SW2
! SW3
! SW4
! SW5
! SW6
! SW7
! SW8
! SW9
! SW10
! SW11
! SW12
! SW13
! SW14
! SW15
! SW16
! SW17
! SW18
! SW19
! SW20

SW1

SW1 is the South Western head district. Since about the 1890s it has had a surplus of addresses and buildings for practical division into one set of inwards codes so is divided into smaller postcode districts since 1917 used for mail purposes. SW1 is used in geographic reference, street signs and colloquial use across most communities. Its eight subdivisions continue to be classed as one 'district'. Within SW1A are keynote inward codes including:
The SW postcode area covers parts of nine London Boroughs. North of the River Thames, it covers the southern parts of the City of Westminster, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. South of the river, it covers all of the London Borough of Wandsworth, the western part of the London Borough of Lambeth, the northern parts of the London Boroughs of Merton and Croydon, the northeastern part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and a very small part of Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

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