London NW | |
|---|---|
  NW | |
| Coordinates:51°33′22″N0°11′53″W / 51.556°N 0.198°W /51.556; -0.198 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Postcode area | NW |
| Postcode area name | London NW |
| Post towns | 1 |
| Postcode districts | 13 |
| Postcode sectors | 81 |
| Postcodes (live) | 13,895 |
| Postcodes (total) | 25,552 |
| Statistics as at May 2020[1] | |
TheNW (North Western) postcode area, also known as theLondon NW postcode area,[2] is a group of 13 postcode districts covering around 13,895 live postcodes within part of northwestLondon, England. It is the successor of theNW sector, originally created as part of theLondon postal district in 1856.
London postal arrangements were refined in 1917 when all its postcode districts (seven radial, which are large, and two innermost, which are much smaller) became publicly sub-divided;[3] these were named after the location of the delivery office in each district. As London is one post town, district names are deprecated, in favour of the post town LONDON to be written/typed.[2]
Within each NW postcode district,PO boxes are allocated to a unique postcode sector, except for two districts which use all available sectors for ordinary addresses and therefore have their separate non-geographic districts: NW1W for PO boxes in NW1 and NW26 for PO boxes in NW10.[4]
The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown initalics:[5]
Postcode district NW1 is central to London, with the NW2–11 postcode districts radiating outwards to the northwest. The boundaries of the area and its numbered districts have changed over time and are the result of the working requirements ofRoyal Mail. They are not tied to those of the local authority areas served; consequently a locality name might describe varying areas. The postcode area contains western parts of the London Borough ofBarnet, large parts of London Boroughs ofBrent andCamden with parts of theCity of Westminster,Islington and those ofEaling, and very small parts ofHammersmith and Fulham andKensington & Chelsea. The NW7 district is a projection as far as Hertfordshire's near edge, which it mirrors or emulates briefly near Scratch Wood.
In 2008, the ska bandMadness released a single called "NW5", named after the postal district of the same name.
In 2012, the British authorZadie Smith released a book calledNW, named after the postal district of the same name, where the novel is set. The novel was adapted into a 2016 television film by theBBC.
The remainder of northwestGreater London is covered by theHA,UB, part of theEN and a small section of theWD postcode areas.