Ilford | |
|---|---|
  IG | |
| Coordinates: 51°35′13″N0°04′19″E / 51.587°N 0.072°E | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Postcode area | IG |
| Postcode area name | Ilford |
| Post towns | 6 |
| Postcode districts | 11 |
| Postcode sectors | 35 |
| Postcodes (live) | 5,979 |
| Postcodes (total) | 10,011 |
| Statistics as at May 2020 [1] | |
The IG postcode area, also known as the Ilford postcode area, [2] is a group of eleven postcode districts in England, within six post towns. These cover parts of eastern Greater London and south-west Essex.
Inward mail for the area is sorted, along with mail for the E and RM postcode areas, at the Romford Mail Centre.
Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill are covered by Woodford Green Royal Mail Delivery Office [3]
The area served includes much of the London Borough of Redbridge, the western part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and the southwestern part of the Epping Forest district of Essex, while the western part of IG8 and IG11 covers a small part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, and the London Borough of Newham.
The approximate coverage of the postcode districts is as follows: [4]
| Postcode district | Post town | Coverage | Local authority area(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IG1 | ILFORD | Ilford, Cranbrook, Loxford (part) | Redbridge |
| IG2 | ILFORD | Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Aldborough Hatch | Redbridge |
| IG3 | ILFORD | Seven Kings, Goodmayes | Redbridge |
| IG4 | ILFORD | Redbridge | Redbridge |
| IG5 | ILFORD | Clayhall | Redbridge |
| IG6 | ILFORD | Fairlop, Barkingside, Chigwell, Hainault (south) | Redbridge |
| IG7 | CHIGWELL | Chigwell, Chigwell Row, Hainault (north) | Epping Forest, Redbridge |
| IG8 | WOODFORD GREEN | Woodford Green, Woodford Bridge, Highams Park (part) | Redbridge, Waltham Forest |
| IG9 | BUCKHURST HILL | Buckhurst Hill | Epping Forest |
| IG10 | LOUGHTON | Loughton, High Beach (part) | Epping Forest |
| IG11 | BARKING | Barking, Barking Riverside, Beckton (part), Creekmouth, Loxford (part), Thames View, Upney | Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Redbridge |
In 2005, a local businessman named Wilson Chowdhry led a campaign for Ilford's IG1 postcode to be changed to E19. Although Ilford has been part of Greater London since 1965, it is not within the London post town. Chowdhry argued that the IG1 postcode confused customers, and that a London E postcode would help bring more business into Ilford. However, a Royal Mail spokesman said that the campaign had "virtually no hope" of succeeding, as postcodes are only changed for operational reasons. [5]
A similar plea had been raised in the 1970s by Greater London Council politician Serge Lourie, and similarly rejected. Ilford had been part of the original E division of the London postal district from 1857 until 1866. [6]
The London postal district is the area in England of 241 square miles (620 km2) 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 throughout its history it has been subject to reorganisation and division into increasingly smaller postal units, with the early loss of two compass points and a minor retraction in 1866. It was integrated by the Post Office into the national postcode system of the United Kingdom during the early 1970s and corresponds to the E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC postcode areas. The postal district has also been known as the London postal area. The County of London was much smaller, at 117 square miles (300 km2), but Greater London is much larger at 607 square miles (1,570 km2).
The W 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. This area covers 35 postcode districts and around 18,554 live postcodes.
The E (Eastern) postcode area, also known as the London E postcode area, is the part of the London post town covering much of east London, England. It borders the N postcode area to the west, both north of the tidal Thames. Since closure of the East London mail centre, its mail is sorted at Romford Mail Centre together with IG and RM postcode areas.
The RM postcode area, also known as the Romford postcode area, is a group of twenty postcode districts in south-east England, within nine post towns. These cover parts of eastern Greater London and south-west Essex. Inward mail for the area is sorted, along with mail for the E and IG postcode areas, at the Romford Mail Centre.
The EC postcode area, also known as the London EC postal area, is a group of postcode districts in central London, England. It includes almost all of the City of London and parts of the London boroughs of Islington, Camden, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Westminster. The area covered is of very high density development. Deliveries for the EC postcode area are made from Mount Pleasant Mail Centre.
The WC postcode area, also known as the London WC postcode area, is a group of postcode districts in central London, England. The area covered is of high density development, and includes parts of the City of Westminster and the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington, plus a very small part of the City of London.
The KT postcode area, also known as the Kingston upon Thames postcode area, is a group of 24 postcode districts in England, within 19 post towns. These cover boroughs in south-west Greater London and several boroughs in north-east Surrey.
The CR postcode area, also known as the Croydon postcode area, is a group of eight postcode districts in England, within ten post towns. These cover parts of southern Greater London and north-east Surrey.
The SM postcode area, also known as the Sutton postcode area, is a group of seven postcode districts in England, within five post towns. These cover part of south-west London, as well as a small part of north Surrey.
The EN postcode area, also known as the Enfield postcode area, is a group of eleven postcode districts in England, within seven post towns. These cover parts of northern Greater London, southern Hertfordshire and western Essex.
The BR postcode area, also known as the Bromley postcode area, is a group of eight postcode districts in England, within seven post towns. These cover part of south-eastern Greater London, as well as a small part of north-west Kent.
The DA postcode area, also known as the Dartford postcode area, is a group of eighteen postcode districts in England, within eleven post towns. These cover parts of south-east London and north-west Kent.
The CM postcode area, also known as the Chelmsford postcode area, is a group of 25 postcode districts in England, within 16 post towns. These cover central Essex, plus a small part of east Hertfordshire and a very small part of the London Borough of Havering.
The UB postcode area, also known as the Southall postcode area, is a group of eleven postcode districts in England, within six post towns. These cover parts of western and north-western Greater London, plus a very small part of Buckinghamshire. The letters in the postcodes are the phonemic abbreviation of Uxbridge.
The HA postcode area, also known as the Harrow postcode area, is a group of ten postcode districts in England, within seven post towns. These cover part of northwest London, plus a very small part of south Hertfordshire.
The WD postcode area, also known as the Watford postcode area, is a group of eleven postcode districts in south-east England, within seven post towns. These cover south-west Hertfordshire, plus very small parts of Buckinghamshire and Greater London.
The CO postcode area, also known as the Colchester postcode area, is a group of sixteen postcode districts in the east of England, within nine post towns. These cover northeast Essex and a small part of south Suffolk. The main sorting office is in Colchester.
The NW postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, 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.
The WN postcode area, also known as the Wigan postcode area, is a group of eight postcode districts in North West England, within three post towns. These cover most of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, plus small parts of West Lancashire and the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside.
The SL postcode area, also known as the Slough postcode area, is a group of ten postcode districts in South East England, within eight post towns. These cover east Berkshire and south Buckinghamshire, plus a very small part of south-west Hertfordshire.