Postcodes explained

One of the hardest things to get your head around when in London are postcodes.

"People will find you quicker than a curry house in Brick Lane"

Once you understand what all the letters and numbers mean, you will join the millions of Londoners who speak their own crude and cryptic language. Gone are the days of giving directions, simply rattle off your postcode and people will find you quicker than a curry house in Brick Lane.

Postcodes follow a standard format: letter + (letter) + number + (number/letter) [space] number + letter + letter ... For example, a house in Willesden Green, in the North-West of London, could have the postcode NW2 7UU.

Broken down, this is:

NW - North West

2 - district in North West (there are other NW codes with different numbers, like NW10)

7UU - property location (which street and which side of the street the property is on)

London postcodes begin with a compass direction in London, then take the city or town name as their initial letter (eg. Manchester - M, Birmingham B, and so on).