The W (Western and Paddington) postcode area, also known as the London W postcode area is a group of postcode districts covering part of central and part of West London, England. The area originates from the Western (W1) and Paddington (W2-14) districts of the

London postal district The London postal district is the area in England of to which mail addressed to the London post town is delivered. The General Post Office under the control of the Postmaster General directed Sir Rowland Hill to devise the area in 1856 and thro ...

. This area covers 35 postcode districts and around 18,554 live postcodes.

Postal administration

The Western district consists of the single original W1 postal district. The area that it covers is high-density and so has been subdivided into a number of smaller postcode districts. When districts are used for purposes other than the sorting of mail, such as use as a geographic reference and on street signs, the W1 subdivisions continue to be classed as one 'district'. In June 2000, there was a recoding of the area, with the W1M, W1N, W1P, W1R, W1V, W1X and W1Y districts being replaced. The mail centre for W1 is London Central, and that for W2-14 is Greenford. Deliveries for W1 (and for WC1 and WC2) came from the Western District Office on Rathbone Place until it was decommissioned. It was a stop on the former

London Post Office Railway The Post Office Railway, is a narrow gauge, driverless underground railway in London that was built by the Post Office with assistance from the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, to transport mail between sorting offices. Inspire ...

, which has been mothballed since 2003. The Western District Office was initially on Wimpole Street, which was also a stop on the London Post Office Railway. The Paddington district has 13 postcode districts (W2–14). Other than W2, the districts are arranged alphabetically, run from W3 (Acton) to W14 (West Kensington) and radiate westwards. The Paddington Head District Sorting Office was the western terminus of the London Post Office Railway, which ran to the Eastern District Office, at Whitechapel.

List of postcode districts

The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown in ''italics'':Map of London district names and numbers
from the 1963 edition of Bartholomew's Reference Atlas of Greater London , - ! W1A , LONDON , PO boxes & Admail codes in W1 , '' non-geographic'' , - ! W1B , LONDON , Portland Place,

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

, Westminster , - ! W1C , LONDON , Oxford Street (west) , Westminster , - ! W1D , LONDON , Soho (south east);

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

, Soho Square , Westminster , - ! W1F , LONDON , Soho (north west) , Westminster , - ! W1G , LONDON ,

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, which has, since the 19th century housed a large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery. It was named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.< ...

, Westminster , - ! W1H , LONDON , Marylebone , Westminster , - ! W1J , LONDON ,

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

(south),

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

, Westminster , - ! W1K , LONDON ,

(north),

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was developed for fashionable re ...

, Westminster , - ! W1S , LONDON ,

(east), Hanover Square, Savile Row,

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, Westminster , - ! W1T , LONDON , Fitzrovia, Tottenham Court Road , London Borough of Camden, Camden , - ! W1U , LONDON , Marylebone , Westminster , - ! W1W , LONDON , East Marylebone, Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia , Westminster , - ! W2 , LONDON , ''Paddington head district:'' Paddington, Bayswater, Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, Westbourne Green, Maida Vale#Little Venice, Little Venice (part), Notting Hill (part) , , Westminster, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Kensington and Chelsea , - ! W3 , LONDON , ''Acton district:'' Acton, London, Acton, West Acton, North Acton (part), South Acton, London, South Acton, East Acton (west), Park Royal (south), Hanger Hill Garden Estate, Gunnersbury Park , , London Borough of Ealing, Ealing, London Borough of Hounslow, Hounslow, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Hammersmith and Fulham , - ! W4 , LONDON , ''Chiswick district:'' Chiswick, Gunnersbury, Turnham Green, Acton Green, London, Acton Green, South Acton (part), Bedford Park, London, Bedford Park , , Hounslow, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham , - ! W5 , LONDON , ''Ealing district:'' Ealing, South Ealing, Ealing Common, North Ealing, Northfields, London, Northfields, (south and east), Pitshanger, Hanger Lane , , Ealing, Hounslow , - ! W6 , LONDON , ''Hammersmith district:'' Fulham, Hammersmith, Ravenscourt Park, Stamford Brook (part), , Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow , - ! W7 , LONDON , ''Hanwell district:'' Hanwell, Boston Manor (part) , , Ealing , - ! W8 , LONDON , ''Kensington district:'' Kensington, Holland Park (part) , , Kensington and Chelsea , - ! W9 , LONDON , ''Maida Hill district:'' Maida Hill, Maida Vale, Queen's Park, London, Queen's Park (part), West Kilburn , , Westminster, London Borough of Brent, Brent, Camden , - ! W10 , LONDON , ''Ladbroke Grove district: Kensal Town, Ladbroke Grove , Queen's Park, London, Queen's Park (part) , , Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent , - ! W11 , LONDON , ''Notting Hill district:'' Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove (part), Holland Park (part) , , Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham , - ! W12 , LONDON , ''Shepherds Bush district:'' Shepherd's Bush, White City, London, White City, Wormwood Scrubs, East Acton (east) , , Hammersmith and Fulham , - ! W13 , LONDON , ''West Ealing district:'' West Ealing, Northfields, London, Northfields (north and west) , , Ealing , - ! W14 , LONDON , ''West Kensington district:'' West Kensington, Olympia, London, Kensington Olympia, Holland Park , , Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea

Boundaries

Postcode districts W1 and W2 are central to London, and W3 to W14 are mostly further west. The boundaries of the area and its numbered districts have changed over time and are the result of the working requirements of the Royal Mail. The boundaries do not coincide with the local authority areas. W1 is almost entirely in the City of Westminster, with a small part in the London Borough of Camden. W2 to W14 cover the northwestern part of the City of Westminster, the northern parts of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the eastern parts of the London Boroughs of London Borough of Ealing, Ealing and London Borough of Hounslow, Hounslow, as well as very small parts of the London Boroughs of London Borough of Brent, Brent and Camden.

In popular culture

The TV series ''W1A (TV series), W1A'' satirises the goings-on at the BBC's Broadcasting House in Portland Place, whose memorable postcode is W1A 1AA. AJ Tracey released the 2020 track "West Ten", which refers to the Ladbroke Grove area.

Map

References

External links

Royal Mail's Postcode Address FileA quick introduction to Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=October 2016 Postcode areas covering London Media and communications in the City of Westminster Media and communications in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Media and communications in the London Borough of Ealing Media and communications in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Media and communications in the London Borough of Hounslow Media and communications in the London Borough of Camden