List of postal codes in the United Kingdom
The British postal system runs on a system of alphanumeric codes, or Postcodes. Each postcode begins with a prefix consisting of one or two letters. Normally this prefix denotes the main sorting office through which the post for that place is filtered before being distributed to individual addresses; the only exception to this rule is with postcodes in the inner London area (but this does not correspond completely to other definitions of inner London).
Note that the postcodes, and also the full postal addresses, do not follow local government or traditional county boundaries. The London postal district is much smaller than the boundaries of the Greater London Authority and many areas in outer London have the more standard form of postcode.
Postal counties are no longer required by Royal Mail; and if a postcode is supplied, the county will be ignored. Many people will still quote their address using them, however.
British Postcode Prefixes (including overseas possessions)
- AB - Aberdeen
- AL - St Albans
- B - Birmingham
- BA - Bath
- BB - Blackburn
- BD - Bradford
- BH - Bournemouth
- BI - British Antarctic Territory
- BL - Bolton
- BN - Brighton
- BR - Bromley
- BS - Bristol
- BT - Belfast
- CA - Carlisle
- CB - Cambridge
- CF - Cardiff
- CH - Chester
- CM - Chelmsford
- CO - Colchester
- CR - Croydon
- CT - Canterbury
- CV - Coventry
- CW - Crewe
- DA - Dartford
- DD - Dundee
- DE - Derby
- DG - Dumfries and Galloway
- DH - Durham
- DL - Darlington
- DN - Doncaster
- DT - Dorchester
- DY - Dudley
- E - East London
- EC - East Central London
- EH - Edinburgh
- EN - Enfield
- EX - Exeter
- FI - Falkland Islands
- FK - Falkirk
- FY - Blackpool (Fylde)
- G - Glasgow
- GL - Gloucester
- GU - Guildford
- GY - Guernsey
- HA - Harrow
- HD - Huddersfield
- HG - Harrogate
- HP - Hemel Hempstead
- HR - Hereford
- HS - Outer Hebrides
- HU - Kingston upon Hull
- HX - Halifax
- IG - Ilford (and Gants Hill)
- IM - Isle of Man
- IP - Ipswich
- IV - Inverness
- JE - Jersey
- KA - Kilmarnock
- KT - Kingston-upon-Thames
- KW - Kirkwall
- KY - Kirkcaldy
- L - Liverpool
- LA - Lancaster
- LD - Llandrindod Wells
- LE - Leicester
- LL - Llandudno
- LN - Lincoln
- LS - Leeds
- LU - Luton
- M - Manchester
- ME - Medway Towns
- MK - Milton Keynes
- ML - Motherwell
- N - North London
- NE - Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- NG - Nottingham
- NN - Northampton
- NP - Newport
- NR - Norwich
- NW - North West London
- OL - Oldham
- OX - Oxford
- PA - Paisley
- PE - Peterborough
- PH - Perth
- PL - Plymouth
- PO - Portsmouth
- PR - Preston
- RG - Reading
- RH - Redhill
- RM - Romford
- S - Sheffield
- SA - Swansea
- SE - South East London
- SG - Stevenage
- SI - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- SK - Stockport
- SL - Slough
- SM - Sutton (and Morden)
- SN - Swindon
- SO - Southampton
- SP - Salisbury
- SR - Sunderland
- SS - Southend on Sea
- ST - Stoke-on-Trent
- SW - South West London
- SY - Shrewsbury
- TA - Taunton
- TD - Galashiels (Tweed)
- TF - Telford
- TN - Tonbridge
- TQ - Torquay
- TR - Truro
- TS - Teesside
- TW - Twickenham
- UB - Uxbridge
- W - West London
- WA - Warrington
- WC - West Central London
- WD - Watford
- WF - Wakefield
- WN - Wigan
- WR - Worcester
- WS - Walsall
- WV - Wolverhampton
- YO - York
- ZE - Shetland (Zetland)
Fictional Postcodes
- AM - Ambridge, (The Archers)
- E20 - Walford, East London (EastEnders)
- FX - Fairfax (Used by the Post Office for training purposes)
- RE1 - the city-sized interplanetary vessel Red Dwarf (Red Dwarf) (Probably considered an overseas territory)
See Also
- Postal counties of Great Britain
- Communications in the United Kingdom
- UK telephone area codes (STD codes)