The M postcode area, also known as the Manchester postcode area, is a group of postcode districts in the North West of England. The districts are subdivisions of three post towns:

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, Salford and Sale and cover parts of all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, primarily the cities of

and Salford and the majority of the borough of Trafford. __TOC__

Coverage

The approximate coverage of the postcode districts: , - ! M1 , MANCHESTER , Piccadilly,

City Centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

, Market Street ,

, - ! M2 , MANCHESTER ,

Deansgate Deansgate is a main road (part of the A56) through Manchester City Centre, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile ...

, Manchester , - ! M3
(Sectors 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9) , MANCHESTER ,

, Castlefield , Manchester , - ! M3
(Sectors 5, 6 and 7) , SALFORD , Blackfriars, Greengate, Trinity , Salford , - ! M4 , MANCHESTER , Ancoats, Northern Quarter,

Strangeways HM Prison Manchester is a Category A and B men's prison in Manchester, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It is still commonly referred to as Strangeways, which was its former official name derived from the area in which it is ...

, Manchester , - ! M5 , SALFORD , Ordsall,

Seedley Seedley is an inner city suburb of City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Buile Hill Park is a large park in Seedley. History The area is mostly made up of terraced housing, dating from the late 19th century and early 20th century. It ...

, Weaste,

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, Salford , - ! M6 , SALFORD , Pendleton, Irlams o' th' Height, Langworthy,

, Charlestown , Salford , - ! M7 , SALFORD ,

Higher Broughton Broughton is a suburb and district of Salford, City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is northwest of Manchester and south of Prestwich. Historically in Lancashire, Broughton was a township and ...

, Cheetwood,

Lower Broughton Broughton is a suburb and district of Salford, City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is northwest of Manchester and south of Prestwich. Historically in Lancashire, Broughton was a township ...

, Kersal , Salford , - ! M8 , MANCHESTER , Crumpsall,

Cheetham Hill Cheetham is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England, which in 2011 had a population of 22,562. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north of Manchester city centre, close to the boundary with Salford, bounded by Broug ...

, Manchester , - ! M9 , MANCHESTER , Harpurhey, Blackley , Manchester , - ! M11 , MANCHESTER , Clayton, Openshaw, Beswick , Manchester , - ! M12 , MANCHESTER , Ardwick, Longsight, Chorlton-on-Medlock , Manchester , - ! M13 , MANCHESTER , Ardwick, Longsight, Chorlton-on-Medlock , Manchester , - ! M14 , MANCHESTER , Fallowfield, Moss Side, Ladybarn, Rusholme, Victoria Park, Longsight , Manchester , - ! M15 , MANCHESTER , Hulme, Manchester Science Park, Old Trafford , Manchester, Trafford , - ! M16 , MANCHESTER ,

Firswood Firswood is a suburban area of Stretford in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Geography Firswood borders Whalley Range, Old Trafford and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. It was largely occupied by Rye Bank Farm, which remaine ...

, Old Trafford, Whalley Range, Moss Side , Manchester, Trafford , - ! M17 , MANCHESTER , Trafford Park,

The Trafford Centre The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space. Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford C ...

, Trafford , - ! M18 , MANCHESTER , Abbey Hey, Gorton , Manchester , - ! M19 , MANCHESTER , Levenshulme,

Burnage Burnage is a suburb of the city of Manchester in North West England, about south of Manchester city centre and bisected by the dual carriageway of Kingsway. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the population of th ...

, Manchester, Stockport , - ! M20 , MANCHESTER , Didsbury, Withington , Manchester , - ! M21 , MANCHESTER , Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Barlow Moor , Manchester , - ! M22 , MANCHESTER , Wythenshawe, Northenden, Sharston Industrial Area , Manchester , - ! M23 , MANCHESTER , Baguley,

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields ...

, Roundthorn Industrial Estate , Manchester, Trafford , - ! M24 , MANCHESTER , Middleton, Alkrington,

Chadderton Chadderton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk and Rochdale Canal. It is located in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Oldham, south of Rochdale and north-east of Mancheste ...

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Bor ...

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...

, - ! M25 , MANCHESTER , Prestwich, Sedgley Park, Simister , Bury , - ! M26 , MANCHESTER , Radcliffe,

Stoneclough Stoneclough is a suburban area of Kearsley in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is located south-east of Bolton, south-west of Bury and north-west of Manchester. It is located on the banks of the River Irw ...

, Bury, Bolton , - ! M27 , MANCHESTER , Swinton,

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People * Clifton (surname) * Clifton (given name) Places Australia *Clifton, Queensland, a town ** Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong * Clifton, Western Australia Canada * Clifton, Nova Sc ...

, Pendlebury, Wardley, Agecroft , Salford , - ! M28 , MANCHESTER , Worsley, Walkden, Boothstown,

Mosley Common Mosley Common is a suburb of Tyldesley at the far-eastern edge of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it was anciently a hamlet in the east of the township of Tyldesley cum Shaker ...

, Wardley Industrial Estate , Salford,

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...

, - ! M29 , MANCHESTER , Tyldesley, Astley , Wigan , - ! M30 , MANCHESTER , Eccles, Monton, Peel Green, Winton, Patricroft,

Barton-upon-Irwell Barton upon Irwell (also known as Barton-on-Irwell or Barton) is a suburb of the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 12,462 in 2014. History Barton Old Hall, a brick-built house degraded to a farmhouse, was the se ...

, Ellesmere Park , Salford , - ! M31 , MANCHESTER , Carrington, Partington , Trafford , - ! M32 , MANCHESTER ,

Stretford Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, south of Manchester city centre, south of Salford and north-east of Altrincham. S ...

, Trafford , - ! M33 , SALE , Sale,

, Trafford, Manchester , - ! M34 , MANCHESTER , Denton, Audenshaw , Tameside , - ! M35 , MANCHESTER , Failsworth , Oldham , - ! M38 , MANCHESTER , Little Hulton , Salford , - ! M40 , MANCHESTER ,

Collyhurst Collyhurst is an inner city area of Manchester, England, northeast of the city centre on Rochdale Road (A664) and Oldham Road (A62), bounded by Smedley, Harpurhey and Monsall to the north, Miles Platting to the east, Ancoats to the south, an ...

, Miles Platting, Moston, New Moston, Newton Heath , Manchester , - ! M41 , MANCHESTER , Urmston, Davyhulme, Flixton, Trafford Park , Trafford , - ! M43 , MANCHESTER , Droylsden , Tameside , - ! M44 , MANCHESTER ,

Irlam Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salfo ...

, Cadishead , Salford , - ! M45 , MANCHESTER , Whitefield , Bury , - ! M46 , MANCHESTER , Atherton , Wigan , - ! M50 , SALFORD , Salford Quays, MediaCityUK , Salford , - ! M60
(Sectors 1 and 7) , MANCHESTER , ''Large user and PO Box (located geographically in M1)'' , Manchester , - ! M60
(Sectors 2 and 8) , MANCHESTER , ''Large user and PO Box (located geographically in M2)'' , Manchester , - ! M60
(Sectors 3 and 9) , MANCHESTER , ''Large user and PO Box (located geographically in M3)'' , Manchester , - ! M60
(Sectors 4 and 0) , MANCHESTER , ''Large user and PO Box (located geographically in M4)'' , Manchester , - ! M60
(Sectors 5 and 6) , MANCHESTER , ''Manchester X'' , Manchester , - ! M60
(Sector 9) , SALFORD , ''Large user and PO Box'' , Salford , - ! M61 , MANCHESTER , ''Manchester X'' , Manchester , - ! M90 , MANCHESTER , Manchester Airport , Manchester , - ! M99 , MANCHESTER , ''Manchester X; JD Williams (located geographically in M1 and M3)'' , Manchester

Changes

*M10 was recoded to M40 in 1993. Today, M10 is the postcode district for the fictional town of Weatherfield in the ITV

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

'' Coronation Street'', with the eponymous street having the postcode M10 9KC. *Part of M30 was recoded to M44 in 1994 including Cadishead and Irlam. *Part of M31 was recoded to M41 in 1994 including Davyhulme, Flixton and Urmston. *The Trafford Centre was allocated the sector M17 8 (it is surrounded by the M41 district). *The M90 designation has served Manchester Airport since 1994. The M50 district of Salford was formed out of west of M5 in 2002.

Map

Former scheme

Before the introduction of postcodes in the 1960s, Manchester along with other major cities like

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

was divided into numbered postcode districts. With a few exceptions these numbers made up the outcode (the first part of the postcode). The districts were based on Manchester and Salford together and districts outside the city boundaries were also included. For example, the City Centre had postcode districts 1 - 4 (north-east, south, west and north-west respectively: Manchester 1 was around Piccadilly and 4 was around Victoria). 5, 6, 7 and 8 were in Salford and then the sequence continued across north Manchester and so round to M17 (Trafford Park). M18 onwards were further out still.

References

External links

Royal Mail's Postcode Address FileA quick introduction to Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF)
{{Postcode areas in the United Kingdom Metropolitan Borough of Bolton Metropolitan Borough of Bury Manchester Metropolitan Borough of Oldham Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale City of Salford Tameside Trafford Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Geography of Greater Manchester Postcode areas covering North West England

Coverage

Changes

Map

Former scheme

See also

References

External links