SE postcode area

"SE3" redirects here. For the mathematical symmetry group SE(3), see Euclidean group.

London SE postcode area
SE
Postcode area	SE
Postcode area name	London SE
Post towns	1
Postcode districts	30
Postcode sectors	129
Postcodes (live)	20,305
Postcodes (total)	31,852
Statistics as at February 2012

The SE (South Eastern) postcode area, also known as the London SE postcode area, is the part of the London post town covering part of south-east London, England. It loosely corresponds to the London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Lewisham and Royal Borough of Greenwich, the northern part of the London Borough of Croydon, the eastern part of the London Borough of Lambeth, the western part of the London Borough of Bexley and the northwestern part of the London Borough of Bromley.

Postal administration

The postcode area originated in 1857 as the SE district. In 1868 it gained some of the area of the abolished S district, with the rest going to SW. It was divided into numbered districts in 1917, by giving the district closest to London and the location of the head office the suffix "1" and then each district assigned a number alphabetically based on the location of the main office within the district. SE28 is a much later addition carved out of the existing districts SE2 and SE18 in order to accommodate the development of Thamesmead. Unlike in the SW postcode area, where districts are also split into two alphabetical tranches, SE1 is the only head district, and although the numbering begins again at SE19 this is not a head district. The postcode area is part of the London post town. There are no dependent localities used in the postcode area. SE1P is a non-geographic postcode district for PO boxes located in SE1.

List of postcode districts

The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown in italics:

Postcode district	Post town	Coverage	Local authority area
SE1	LONDON	South Eastern head district: Bankside, South Bank, Lambeth (part), Southwark, Bermondsey (part), Vauxhall (part), Old Kent Road (part)	Lambeth, Southwark, City of London (part)
SE2	LONDON	Abbey Wood district: Abbey Wood, West Heath, Crossness, Thamesmead (part)	Bexley, Greenwich
SE3	LONDON	Blackheath district: Blackheath, Kidbrooke, Westcombe Park	Greenwich, Lewisham
SE4	LONDON	Brockley district: Brockley, Crofton Park (part), Honor Oak, Ladywell (part)	Lewisham, Southwark
SE5	LONDON	Camberwell district: Camberwell, Denmark Hill, Peckham, Brixton (part)	Southwark, Lambeth
SE6	LONDON	Catford district: Catford, Bellingham, Hither Green (part)	Lewisham
SE7	LONDON	Charlton district: Charlton	Greenwich
SE8	LONDON	Deptford district: Deptford, Evelyn, Rotherhithe	Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark
SE9	LONDON	Eltham district: Eltham, Mottingham, New Eltham, Falconwood (part), Sidcup (part), Chinbrook (part), Longlands (part) Kidbrooke (part), Shooter's Hill (part)	Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham
SE10	LONDON	Greenwich district: Greenwich, Maze Hill, Greenwich Peninsula	Greenwich, Lewisham
SE11	LONDON	Kennington district: Kennington, Lambeth (part), Vauxhall (part)	Lambeth, Southwark
SE12	LONDON	Lee district: Lee, Grove Park, Chinbrook, Hither Green (part), Eltham (part), Horn Park, Blackheath (part)	Greenwich, Lewisham
SE13	LONDON	Lewisham district: Lewisham, Hither Green, Ladywell	Greenwich, Lewisham
SE14	LONDON	New Cross district: New Cross	Lewisham
SE15	LONDON	Peckham district: Peckham, Nunhead, South Bermondsey (part), Old Kent Road (part)	Lewisham, Southwark
SE16	LONDON	Rotherhithe district: Rotherhithe, Bermondsey (part), Surrey Quays, South Bermondsey (part)	Lewisham, Southwark
SE17	LONDON	Walworth district: Walworth, Kennington (part), Newington	Southwark
SE18	LONDON	Woolwich district: Woolwich, Plumstead, Shooter's Hill	Bexley, Greenwich
SE19	LONDON	Norwood district: Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace	Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark
SE20	LONDON	Anerley district: Anerley, Crystal Palace (part), Penge, Beckenham (part)	Bromley
SE21	LONDON	Dulwich district: Dulwich, Dulwich Village, West Dulwich, Tulse Hill (part)	Lambeth, Southwark
SE22	LONDON	East Dulwich district: East Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill	Southwark
SE23	LONDON	Forest Hill district: Forest Hill, Honor Oak, Crofton Park (part)	Lewisham, Southwark
SE24	LONDON	Herne Hill district: Herne Hill, Tulse Hill (part)	Lambeth, Southwark
SE25	LONDON	South Norwood district: South Norwood, Selhurst (part), Thornton Heath (part), Woodside (part)	Croydon
SE26	LONDON	Sydenham district: Sydenham, Crystal Palace (part)	Bromley, Lewisham, Southwark
SE27	LONDON	West Norwood district: West Norwood, Gipsy Hill (part)	Lambeth
SE28	LONDON	Thamesmead district: Thamesmead	Bexley, Greenwich

Boundaries

Postcode districts SE1 and SE11 have extensive River Thames frontages and are central to London. SE2–SE18 are organised in the northern part of the postcode area, with SE2, SE7, SE8, SE10, SE16 and SE18 also fronting the river. Postcode districts SE19–SE27 form a group in the southwest and SE28 is located in the extreme northeast. The postcode area maps roughly to the combined area of the London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Lewisham and Royal Borough of Greenwich. the eastern part of the London Borough of Lambeth, the northern part of the London Borough of Croydon, the western part of the London Borough of Bexley and the northwestern part of the London Borough of Bromley are within the postcode area.

In 2002, a small group of residents in the West Heath area wished to have their postcodes changed from SE2 to the adjacent DA7 postcode district, citing higher insurance for their houses, belongings and cars as reasons to change. Royal Mail has said it will not consider changes to postcodes for these reasons.

Map

SE postcode area map, showing postcode districts in red and post towns in grey text, with links to nearby BR, CR, DA, E, EC, IG, RM, SW and WC postcode areas.

See also

• List of postcode areas in the United Kingdom
• London postal district