London Postcodes

[Maldenman]

I'd be fine with Fitzrovia for The Tottenham. It's not in Soho after all is it?

[Conrad]

This hasn't been forgotten but may now have to wait till Monday.

[rpadam]

I think this issue goes wider than the West End (W1) postcodes.

For example, if you look for pubs in Penge (I went there on the bus once, and it does have some pubs, and two railway stations) there are, apparently, none.

This is because all Penge pubs are listed under "Anerley (SE20)". In 1917 (really), the SE20 postal district was called Anerley but it does include Penge (which is a different place), part of Crystal Palace (also in SE19 and SE26) and part of Beckenham (also in BR3).

Not that I would particularly recommend going to Penge, but it does exist (and if I went there again, I might want to look up and see what pubs there were thereabouts...).

[Conrad]

I am really reticent to mess with Greater London there are already so many locations in it that it is barely usable. I think before adding any more locations it would be better to separate it in some way, so possibly North Outer London, and South Outer London.

The problem remains though that it needs to be administered in some way and I had never even heard of Penge till you mentioned it, so I am stuck in terms of trying to resolve it and then handling any issues that come out of it, the nice thing about the SW1 and W1 issues is that Nick has offered up a clear plan of how to improve it. I am happy to keep on improving it, but will need similar easy to follow solutions.

[rpadam]

Fair point, but I know a man who (usually) knows about such things so I will ask...

[NickDavies]

I think this issue goes wider than the West End (W1) postcodes.

For example, if you look for pubs in Penge (I went there on the bus once, and it does have some pubs, and two railway stations) there are, apparently, none.

This is because all Penge pubs are listed under "Anerley (SE20)". In 1917 (really), the SE20 postal district was called Anerley but it does include Penge (which is a different place), part of Crystal Palace (also in SE19 and SE26) and part of Beckenham (also in BR3).

Not that I would particularly recommend going to Penge, but it does exist (and if I went there again, I might want to look up and see what pubs there were thereabouts...).

Once up on a time it was a real ale mini-Mecca, three or four pubs along Maple Road all with a decent selection. Alas times have changed.

I guess just retitling it "Anerley and Penge" would clear up any confusion. There aren't that many pubs there. If you're not careful you end up with estate-agent speak, "Beckenham/Penge borders" for those who live in Penge but would rather not admit it. Some things are wrong in peoples' minds to start with which doesn't help. Many who don't live there call the area of Battersea around Clapham Junction station "Clapham", and it doesn't help that Google maps does too, despite Clapham really being a good stretch further east.

[Conrad]

Ok, well Pimlico (SW1) and Westminster (W1) are now gone, in their place are:
Belgravia (SW1W & SW1X)
Fitzrovia (W1C, W1T & W1W)
Marylebone (W1G, W1H & W1U)
Mayfair (W1J, W1K & W1S)
Pimlico (SW1V)
Soho (W1D & W1F)
Westminster (SW1A, SW1E, SW1H, SW1P & SW1Y)

Of the pubs I had left unallocated in W1 I have moved them as follows:
Fitzrovia
Dorchester Hotel
La Tasca
The Living Room

Marylebone
All Bar One

Mayfair
LHT Urban Bar
Strawberry Moons

Soho
Blue Posts
Callahan's Irish Bar
Cheers
The Clachan
Glassblower
Jewel Bar
Leicester Arms
The Red Lion
The Warwick

Thanks to all involved in helping with this, particularly Nick who managed to break it down in a way I think I understood. Let me know if any of it is wrong, and clearly keep on chipping in if you think there are ways to improve it further.

[rpadam]

Here are some more suggestions for the WC1, WC2, EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4 and N1 postal districts (with some names appearing more than once, and railway terminus names being given preference if in doubt between two possible alternatives):

EC1A – Smithfield
EC1M – Clerkenwell
EC1N – Holborn (1)
EC1R – Finsbury
EC1V – Old Street
EC1Y – Bunhill

EC2A – Shoreditch
EC2M – Liverpool Street
EC2N – Bank (1)
EC2R – Bank (2)
EC2V – Guildhall
EC4Y – Barbican

EC3A – Aldgate
EC3M – Fenchurch Street
EC3N – Tower Hill
EC3R – Billingsgate
EC3V – Bank (3)

EC4A – Holborn (2)
EC4M – St Paul’s
EC4N – Cannon Street (1)
EC4R – Cannon Street (2)
EC4V – Blackfriars
EC4Y – Temple (1)

WC1A – Bloomsbury (1)
WC1B – Bloomsbury (2)
WC1E – Bloomsbury (3)
WC1H – Kings Cross/St Pancras (1)
WC1N – Bloomsbury (4)
WC1R – Holborn (3)
WC1V – Holborn (4)
WC1X – Kings Cross/St Pancras (2)

WC2A – Holborn (5)
WC2B – Aldwych
WC2E – Covent Garden
WC2H – Leicester Square
WC2N – Charing Cross
WC2R – Temple (2)

N1 1 – Islington (1)
N1 2 – Islington (2)
N1 3 – Kingsland (1)
N1 4 – Kingsland (2)
N1 5 – Hoxton (1)
N1 6 – Hoxton (2)
N1 7 – Hoxton (3)
N1 8 – Islington (3)
N1 9 – Kings Cross/St Pancras (3)
N1 0 – Islington (4)

This isn't an easy exercise, and I'm sure that there will be some quibbles, but hopefully the above strikes the right balance with a sensible number of 'neighbourhoods' covering these areas.

[rpadam]

I think I would have taken SW1Y out of Westminster and put it separately as St James's...

[rpadam]

I guess just retitling it "Anerley and Penge" would clear up any confusion.

Alternatively, you could call SE20 7xx 'Penge' and SE20 8xx 'Anerley' (which isn't too far off the mark).