London Postcodes
Most property ads and estate agents in London refer at some point to the postcode of the area the property is in, which can be confusing if you’re not used to the system. Basically, all London postcodes are made up of two different sections. Take the following as an example :
N11 3RN
The first part refers to the general area the property is in and, as a rule, it is this part you'll find in property ads. The second part refers to the street and location of the property on that street.
The prefixes of the first part are straightforward (for example SW refers to South West) and give the general part of London, whereas the number gives a more specific location. However, geographically the numbering appears arbitrary as, for instance, NW1 is central, but NW2 is far out and doesn't border NW1. This is because, when the numbered system was first introduced in 1917, the postcodes numbered 1 (E1, NW1, W1, SW1, SE1) were most central, then subsequent numbers were assigned alphabetically by the name of the district they represented. The exceptions to this are the central London postcodes of EC and WC ('east central', 'west central').
Here's a list of all the London postcodes and the areas they represent.
EC (East Central London Postcodes)
- EC1
- Aldersgate, Finsbury, Holborn
- EC2
- Bishopsgate, Cheapside
- EC3
- Aldgate
- EC4
- St. Paul’s
E (East London Postcodes)
- E1
- Whitechapel, Shoreditch
- E2
- Bethnal Green
- E3
- Bow
- E4
- Chingford
- E5
- Clapton, Homerton
- E6
- East Ham
- E7
- Forest Gate
- E8
- Dalston
- E9
- Homerton
- E10
- Leyton
- E11
- Leytonstone
- E12
- Manor Park
- E13
- Plaistow
- E14
- Poplar (Isle of Dogs)
- E15
- Stratford, West Ham
- E16
- Victoria Docks, North Woolwich
- E17
- Walthamstow
- E18
- South Woodford
- E20
- Olympic Park district
NW (North West London Postcodes)
- NW1
- Regent’s Park, St. Pancras
- NW2
- Cricklewood, Dollis Hill
- NW3
- Hampstead
- NW4
- Hendon
- NW5
- Kentish Town
- NW6
- Maida Vale, Kilburn
- NW7
- Mill Hill
- NW8
- St. John’s Wood
- NW9
- Colindale
- NW10
- Willesden
- NW11
- Golders Green
SE (South East London Postcodes)
- SE1
- Borough, Waterloo
- SE2
- Abbey Wood
- SE3
- Blackheath
- SE4
- Brockley
- SE5
- Camberwell
- SE6
- Catford
- SE7
- Charlton
- SE8
- Deptford
- SE9
- Eltham
- SE10
- Greenwich
- SE11
- Kennington
- SE12
- Lee
- SE13
- Lewisham
- SE14
- New Cross
- SE15
- Peckham
- SE16
- Bermondsey, Rotherhithe
- SE17
- Walworth
- SE18
- Plumstead
- SE19
- Crystal Palace
- SE20
- Penge
- SE21, SE22
- Dulwich
- SE23
- Forest Hill
- SE24
- Herne Hill
- SE25
- Norwood
- SE26
- Sydenham
- SE27
- West Norwood
- SE28
- Thamesmead
WC (West Central London Postcodes)
- WC1
- Bloomsbury, High Holborn
- WC2
- Strand, Holborn
W (West London Postcodes)
- W1
- West End
- W2
- Bayswater, Paddington
- W3
- Acton
- W4
- Chiswick
- W5
- Ealing
- W6
- Hammersmith
- W7
- Hanwell
- W8
- Holland Park
- W9
- Maida Vale, Paddington
- W10
- North Kensington
- W11
- Notting Hill
- W12
- Shepherd's Bush
- W13
- West Ealing
- W14
- West Kensington
N (North London Postcodes)
- N1
- Angel
- N2
- East Finchley
- N3
- Finchley
- N4
- Finsbury Park
- N5
- Highbury
- N6
- Highgate
- N7
- Holloway
- N8
- Hornsey, Crouch End
- N9
- Lower Edmonton
- N10
- Muswell Hill
- N11
- New Southgate
- N12
- North Finchley
- N13
- Palmers Green
- N14
- Southgate
- N15
- Stamford Hill, South Tottenham
- N16
- Stoke Newington
- N17
- Tottenham
- N18
- Upper Edmonton
- N19
- Upper Holloway
- N20
- Whetstone
- N21
- Winchmore Hill
- N22
- Wood Green
SW (South West London Postcodes)
- SW1
- Westminster, Victoria
- SW2
- Brixton
- SW3
- Chelsea
- SW4
- Clapham
- SW5
- Earl’s Court, West Brompton
- SW6
- Fulham
- SW7
- South Kensington, Knightsbridge
- SW8
- South Lambeth
- SW9
- Stockwell
- SW10
- West Brompton, Chelsea
- SW11
- Battersea
- SW12
- Balham
- SW13
- Barnes
- SW14
- Mortlake
- SW15
- Putney
- SW16
- Streatham
- SW17
- Tooting
- SW18
- West Wandsworth
- SW19
- Wimbledon
- SW20
- West Wimbledon