Why is the N19 postal district between N6 and N7?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespo ... sofn19.htm

Posted by Christopher Howse on 07 May 2008 at 19:12
Tags: Paris, N19, Warwick Street, SW1, Archway, Postal district

The secrets of London N19

I discovered a blinding truth today, thanks to a trip to Archway. The truth was the origin of London’s postal district numbers. The questions is why I had never known this before.

Why is the N19 postal district between N6 and N7?

One is used to the idea of the 20 arrondissements of Paris being arranged like a snail-shell around the centre. (These have their own oddities. I think the 8th neighbours more arrondissements than the 1st. And there was a radical historical discontinuity in 1860 with the rearrangement of 12 old arondissements in 20 new divisions on a different basis.)

London’s postal districts are bafflingly arranged. As I walk from the Telegraph offices I find on an old coal-hole cover bearing the maker’s name, an ironmonger’s in Warwick Street London SW.

At some time, unknown to me till today, SW and the other compass points were split into numbered districts. That SW1 is central makes sense, but why, for example is N6 divided from N7 by N19.

So I asked Peter Whetman, a bookseller in N19. N19 is administratively part of Islington, but it is not far out of London, indeed not half as far as N3, which is Finchley, on the northern fringes. N19 is on the slopes leading up to Highgate.

The explanation Mr Whetman supplied is that during the First World War, when regular postmen were away fighting, numerical subdivisions were made to simplify sorting. The basis of numbering, within each compass sector, was alphabetical.

So East Finchley neighbours Finchley only because “Eastâ€

[dvbuk55]

Absolutely riveting - I'm sat on the edge of my seat.

[rockytony67]

As far as I know all London distracts are done on Alphabetical order, apart from the most central office, as the article Say's N19 was originally known as Upper Holloway so it would be a high number, see you come to this site and you learn all about history, who Say's posties are thick

[Lounge Lizard]

Fascinating all this history, and don't forget that Newcastle and Sheffield would have very different postcodes today if Trollope hadn't abolished the North East and South divisions of London back in 1886 !

[rockytony67]

Fascinating all this history, and don't forget that Newcastle and Sheffield would have very different postcodes today if Trollope hadn't abolished the North East and South divisions of London back in 1886 !

You can still see old road sign's with the NE on them were I deliver.

[dvbuk55]

[DGP1]

I thought post codes were all to do with property values ie. the better the postcode the more valuable the property (this is why certain people try to get their postcodes changed)

[johnnyp]

dvbuk55 just for you mate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_postal_district

[dvbuk55]

dvbuk55 just for you mate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_postal_district

Thanks pal - I'm now a cockney convert, that's where you're born within the sound of screaming and bow legs.

[rockytony67]

You Philistine

[rockytony67]

You Philistine

And before you ask he's not a Cockney Jewish gangster

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You Philistine

And before you ask he's not a Cockney Jewish gangster

Isn't Phyllis Styne that famous drag act in Soho

[rockytony67]

You Philistine

And before you ask he's not a Cockney Jewish gangster

Isn't Phyllis Styne that famous drag act in Soho

I don't know I don't frequent that part of town but each to his own

[DGP1]

You Philistine

And before you ask he's not a Cockney Jewish gangster

Isn't Phyllis Styne that famous drag act in Soho

You're letting your secrets out now Teebs

[dvbuk55]

Just as a matter of interest which postal district is SOHO in? No really I'm now totally absorbed in this topi....................