North_West_London
NW postcode area
Postcode area within the United Kingdom
The NW (North Western) postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area,[2] is a group of 13 postcode districts covering around 13,895 live postcodes within part of northwest London, England. It is the successor of the NW sector, originally created as part of the London postal district in 1856.
London NW | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 51.556°N 0.198°W / 51.556; -0.198 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Postcode area | NW |
| Postcode area name | London NW |
| Post towns | 1 |
| Postcode districts | 13 |
| Postcode sectors | 81 |
| Postcodes (live) | 13,895 |
| Postcodes (total) | 25,552 |
| Statistics as at May 2020[1] | |
London postal arrangements were refined in 1917 when all its postcode districts (seven radial which are large and two innermost, much smaller) became publicly sub-divided;[3] these were named after the location of the delivery office in each district. As London is one post town, district names are deprecated, in favour of the post town LONDON to be written/typed.[2]
Within each NW postcode district, PO boxes are allocated to a unique postcode sector, except for two districts which use all available sectors for ordinary addresses and therefore have their separate non-geographic districts: NW1W for PO boxes in NW1 and NW26 for PO boxes in NW10.[4]
List of postcode districts
The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown in italics:[5]
| Postcode district | Post town | Coverage | Local authority area(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NW1 | LONDON | North Western head district: Marylebone (part), Euston, Regent's Park, Baker Street, Camden Town, Somers Town, Primrose Hill (part) and Lisson Grove (part) | Camden, Westminster |
| NW1W | LONDON | PO boxes in NW1[4] | non-geographic |
| NW2 | LONDON | Cricklewood district: Cricklewood, Dollis Hill, Childs Hill, Golders Green (part), Brent Cross (part), Willesden (north), Neasden (north) | Barnet, Brent, Camden |
| NW3 | LONDON | Hampstead district: Hampstead, Belsize Park, Frognal, Childs Hill (east), South Hampstead (north), Swiss Cottage (east), Primrose Hill (north), Chalk Farm (west), Gospel Oak | Camden, Barnet |
| NW4 | LONDON | Hendon district: Hendon, Brent Cross (part) | Barnet |
| NW5 | LONDON | Kentish Town district: Kentish Town, Camden Town (part), Gospel Oak (part), Dartmouth Park, Chalk Farm (east), Tufnell Park (west) | Camden, Islington |
| NW6 | LONDON | Kilburn district: Kilburn, Brondesbury, West Hampstead, Queen's Park, Kensal Green (part), South Hampstead (south), Swiss Cottage (west) | Brent, Camden, Westminster |
| NW7 | LONDON | Mill Hill district: Mill Hill, Arkley (part), Edgware (part) | Barnet |
| NW8 | LONDON | St John's Wood district: St John's Wood, Primrose Hill (south), Marylebone (north), Lisson Grove (north) | Westminster, Camden |
| NW9 | LONDON | The Hyde district: The Hyde, Colindale, Kingsbury, West Hendon, Wembley Park (part), Queensbury (part) | Barnet, Brent, Harrow |
| NW10 | LONDON | Willesden district: Willesden, Harlesden, Kensal Green, Brent Park, College Park, Stonebridge, North Acton (part), West Twyford, Neasden (south), Old Oak Common, Park Royal (north) | Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea |
| NW11 | LONDON | Golders Green district: Golders Green, Temple Fortune, Hampstead Garden Suburb (west), Hendon (part), Brent Cross (part) | Barnet |
| NW26 | LONDON | PO boxes in NW10[4] | non-geographic |
Postcode district NW1 is central to London, with the NW2–11 postcode districts radiating outwards to the northwest. The boundaries of the area and its numbered districts have changed over time and are the result of the working requirements of Royal Mail. They are not tied to those of the local authority areas served; consequently a locality name might describe varying areas. The postcode area contains large parts of London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent and Camden with small parts of the City of Westminster and those of Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Islington and Kensington & Chelsea. The NW7 district is a projection as far as Hertfordshire's near edge, which it mirrors or emulates briefly near Scratch Wood.
In 2008, the ska band Madness released a single called "NW5", named after the postal district of the same name.
In 2012, the British author Zadie Smith released a book called NW, named after the postal district of the same name, where the novel is set. The novel was adapted into a 2016 television film by the BBC.
The remainder of northwest Greater London is covered by the HA, UB, part of the EN and a small section of WD.
- "ONS Postcode Directory Version Notes" (ZIP). National Statistics Postcode Products. Office for National Statistics. May 2020. Table 2. Retrieved 19 June 2020. Coordinates from mean of unit postcode points, "Code-Point Open". OS OpenData. Ordnance Survey. February 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- Royal Mail (2004). Address Management Guide (4 ed.). Royal Mail Group.
- "Postcodes" (PDF). Archive Information Sheet. The British Postal Museum and Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- "Non Geographic Codes" (PDF). Royal Mail Address Management Unit. July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- "NW1". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012.
- "NW2". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012.
- "NW3". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012.
- "NW4". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013.
- "NW5". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012.
- "NW6". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012.
- "NW7". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012.
- "NW8". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012.
- "NW9". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012.
- "NW10". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012.
- "NW11". The Postcodes Project. Museum of London. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012.