Overview
A list of post towns covers the named towns and large settlements used in postal addresses across the United Kingdom and Crown dependencies. Post towns are an element of the postal addressing system that helps sort and route mail. This article explains how such lists are organised, what a post town represents in an address, and why the grouping by postcode area is useful for both Royal Mail operations and public reference.
What a post town is
A post town is the town name that appears in an address and is associated with particular postcode districts. It forms part of the routing data used to deliver mail, and it commonly appears above the postcode on an envelope. Post towns are linked to the postcode system: the list of post towns is often presented sorted by postcode area — the initial letters of the outward code (for example 'SW' or 'EH') — which groups towns by broad geographic postcode regions.
Organisation and contents of the list
Lists of post towns are typically structured to make lookup straightforward. Common elements in such a list include:
- Postcode area (the first part of the outward code) grouping several post towns;
- Post town name as used in addresses;
- Associated postcode districts or ranges that fall under that town;
- Notes on special cases (e.g., post towns that cover many villages or cross administrative boundaries).
History and development
The concept of a named post town predates modern postcodes. Before alphanumeric postcodes were introduced in the second half of the 20th century, sorting depended heavily on town and county names. With the roll-out of postcodes, post towns were integrated into a structured system that combines a postcode with a town name to improve accuracy. The official list of recognised post towns is maintained and revised over time to reflect changes in delivery practices and local addressing.
Uses and examples
Post town lists are used by postal services, businesses, mapping and geocoding systems, and by members of the public creating addresses. For example, a single post town can cover an urban district with many postcode sectors, while some small villages are assigned the post town of a nearby larger settlement for routing purposes. Because post towns do not always match modern local government boundaries, an address may include a post town that differs from its administrative county.
Notable distinctions and further information
Several notable points arise when working with post town lists: post towns can span multiple local authorities; their names are stable for addressing but occasionally change; and the Crown dependencies have their own arrangements but are often included in broader compilations of post towns. For more detail on how a post town functions within an address, see the dedicated post town article.