Ilford | |
|---|---|
  IG | |
| Coordinates:51°35′13″N0°04′19″E / 51.587°N 0.072°E /51.587; 0.072 | |
| 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] | |
TheIG postcode area, also known as theIlford postcode area,[2] is a group of eleven postcode districts inEngland, within sixpost towns. These cover parts of easternGreater London and south-westEssex.
Inward mail for the area is sorted, along with mail for theE andRM 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 theLondon Borough of Redbridge, the western part of theLondon Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and the southwestern part of theEpping Forest district of Essex, while the western part of IG8 and IG11 covers a small part of theLondon Borough of Waltham Forest, and theLondon 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 theLondon post town. Chowdhry argued that the IG1 postcode confused customers, and that a London E postcode would help bring more business into Ilford. However, aRoyal 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 byGreater London Council politicianSerge Lourie, and similarly rejected. Ilford had been part of the original E division of the London postal district from 1857 until 1866.[6]
