2A02:6B67:DFF2:7A00:78BF:77BD:499E:AB79 at 07:20, 1 July 2025

2025-07-01T07:20:16Z

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{{Short description|Postcode area within the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2025}}
{{redirect|SE3|the mathematical symmetry group SE(3)|Euclidean group}}
{{Infobox UK postcode area|area_code=SE}}
The '''SE (South Eastern) postcode area''' covers a broad area of the south and south-east of the [[London]], England post town from the [[Albert Embankment]] to [[West Heath, London|West Heath]] and the nearest edges of [[Sidcup]] and [[Selhurst]]. It loosely corresponds to the boroughs of [[London Borough of Southwark|Southwark]], [[London Borough of Lewisham|Lewisham]] and [[Royal Borough of Greenwich|Greenwich]] plus indicated parts of the boroughs of [[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]] (north), [[London Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth]] (east), [[London Borough of Bexley|Bexley]] (west) and [[London Borough of Bromley|Bromley]] (northwest).

==Postal administration==
The postcode area originated in 1857 as the SE district. In 1868 it gained some of the area of the short-lived S district, with the rest going to [[SW postcode area|SW]]. It was divided into numbered districts in 1917, by giving the district closest to London that hosted the head office the suffix "1" and all others alphabetically based on a locally important parish, chapelry, topological or built environment feature administering or close to the local distribution office.<ref name="Archive Information Sheet">{{ cite web | url=http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/history/downloads/BPMA_Info_Sheet_Postcodes_web.pdf | title=Postcodes | work=Archive Information Sheet | publisher=The British Postal Museum and Archive | access-date=24 March 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320052708/http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/history/downloads/BPMA_Info_Sheet_Postcodes_web.pdf | archive-date=20 March 2009 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> SE28 is a late addition carved out of the existing districts SE2 and SE18 to reflect the building up of a new London district in what had been the meadows and marshes by the [[Tideway|tidal]] [[River Thames|Thames]] in the parish of Plumstead: [[Thamesmead]].

Unlike SW, where a consecutive 50%, there ten, districts can more officially be traced into two alphabetical groups excluding SW1, SE has always technically followed the norm in that SE1 is the only head district. However SE19 was drawn up to serve the key distribution office serving Norwood after a complete alphabetical series so that those surrounding it and SE21 (Dulwich): SE20 and SE22 to SE27 are strictly alphabetical afresh (Anerley to West Norwood) but it has never technically been a "head district".<ref name="ILLP">{{ cite book | title=The Inner London Letter Post | year=1980 | author=Monopolies and Mergers Commission | publisher=[[Office of Public Sector Information|HMSO]] | url=http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1980/122inner_lon_let_post.htm | author-link=Competition Commission | url-status=usurped | archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120119165017/http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1980/122inner_lon_let_post.htm | archive-date=19 January 2012 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> The postcode area is part of the [[London postal district|London]] post town.<ref name=guide>{{cite book | publisher=Royal Mail Group | title= Management Guide | year=2004 | edition=4 | author=Royal Mail | author-link=Royal Mail }}</ref> There are no dependent localities used in the postcode area.<ref name=guide/> SE1P is a non-geographic postcode district for [[PO box]]es located in SE1.<ref name="nongeo1207">{{Cite web |url=http://www.poweredbypaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/12July_current_non-geos-original.pdf |format=PDF |title=Non Geographic Codes |publisher=Royal Mail Address Management Unit |date=July 2012 |access-date=25 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916141140/http://www.poweredbypaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/12July_current_non-geos-original.pdf |archive-date=16 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===List of postcode districts===
The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown in ''italics'':<ref name="streets 1930">{{cite web | publisher=[[Office of Public Sector Information|HMSO]] | title=Names of Streets and Places in the London Postal area | url=http://www.londonancestor.com/po/1map-w.htm | year=1930 | access-date=24 March 2010 | archive-date=20 October 2004 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020003542/http://londonancestor.com/po/1map-w.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Postcode area table start}}
<onlyinclude> 
|-
! SE1
| LONDON
| ''South Eastern head district:'' [[Bankside]], [[South Bank]], [[Lambeth]] (part), [[Southwark]], [[Bermondsey]] (part), [[Vauxhall]] (part), [[Peckham]] (part)
| Lambeth, Southwark
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|SE1P
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LONDON
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|''non-geographic'' for post office box numbers
|-
! SE2
| LONDON
| ''Abbey Wood district:'' [[Abbey Wood]], [[West Heath, London|West Heath]], [[Belvedere, London|Belvedere]] (part), [[Crossness]], [[Thamesmead]] (part), [[Plumstead]] (part), [[Bostall Heath and Woods]]
| Greenwich, Bexley
|-
! SE3
| LONDON
| ''Blackheath district:'' [[Blackheath, London|Blackheath]], [[Kidbrooke]], [[Westcombe Park]]
| Greenwich, Lewisham
|-
! SE4
| LONDON
| ''Brockley district:'' [[Brockley]], [[Crofton Park]], [[Ladywell]], [[Telegraph Hill, Lewisham|Telegraph Hill]]
| Lewisham
|-
! SE5
| LONDON
| ''Camberwell district:'' [[Camberwell]], [[Denmark Hill]], [[Peckham]]
| Lambeth, Southwark
|-
! SE6
| LONDON
| ''Catford district:'' [[Catford]], [[Bellingham, London|Bellingham]], [[Hither Green]] (part), [[Rushey Green (ward)|Rushey Green]]
| Lewisham
|-
! SE7
| LONDON
| ''Charlton district:'' [[Charlton, London|Charlton]]
| Greenwich
|-
! SE8
| LONDON
| ''Deptford district:'' [[Deptford]], [[Evelyn (ward)|Evelyn]], [[Rotherhithe]] (part), [[St Johns, London|St John's]]
| Lewisham, Greenwich, Southwark
|-
! SE9
| LONDON
| ''Eltham district:'' [[Eltham, London|Eltham]], [[Mottingham]], [[New Eltham]], [[Well Hall]], [[Avery Hill]] (part), [[Falconwood]] (part), [[Sidcup]] (part), [[Chinbrook]] (part), [[Longlands]] (part) [[Kidbrooke]] (part), [[Shooter's Hill]] (part)
| Greenwich, Bromley, Bexley, Lewisham
|-
! SE10
| LONDON
| ''Greenwich district:'' [[Greenwich]], [[Maze Hill]], [[Greenwich Peninsula]]
| Greenwich, Lewisham
|-
! SE11
| LONDON
| ''Kennington district:'' [[Kennington]], [[Lambeth]] (part), [[Vauxhall]] (part), [[Oval, London|Oval]] (part)
| Lambeth, Southwark
|-
! SE12
| LONDON
| ''Lee district:'' [[Lee, London|Lee]], [[Mottingham, London|Mottingham]], [[Grove Park, Lewisham|Grove Park]], [[Chinbrook]], [[Hither Green]] (part), [[Eltham, London|Eltham]] (part), [[Horn Park]]
| Lewisham, Greenwich, Bromley
|-
! SE13
| LONDON
| ''Lewisham district:'' [[Lewisham]], [[Hither Green]], [[Ladywell]]
| Lewisham, Greenwich
|-
! SE14
| LONDON
| ''New Cross district:'' [[New Cross]], [[Telegraph Hill, Lewisham|Telegraph Hill]]
| Lewisham
|-
! SE15
| LONDON
| ''Peckham district:'' [[Peckham]], [[Nunhead]], [[South Bermondsey]] (part)
| Southwark, Lewisham
|-
! SE16
| LONDON
| ''Rotherhithe district:'' [[Rotherhithe]] (part), [[Surrey Quays]], [[South Bermondsey]] (part)
| Southwark, Lewisham
|-
! SE17
| LONDON
| ''Walworth district:'' [[Walworth, London|Walworth]], [[Elephant and Castle]], [[Kennington]] (part), [[Newington, London|Newington]]
| Southwark
|-
! SE18
| LONDON
| ''Woolwich district:'' [[Woolwich]], [[Royal Arsenal]], [[Plumstead]] (part), [[East Wickham]] (part), [[Shooter's Hill]]
| Greenwich, Bexley
|-
! SE19
| LONDON
| ''Norwood district:'' [[Upper Norwood]], [[Crystal Palace, London|Crystal Palace]], [[Gipsy Hill]] (part)
| Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark, Bromley
|-
! SE20
| LONDON
| ''Anerley district:'' [[Anerley]], Crystal Palace (part), [[Penge]], [[Beckenham]] (part)
| Bromley
|-
! SE21
| LONDON
| ''Dulwich district:'' [[Dulwich]], [[Dulwich Village]], [[Tulse Hill]] (part), [[West Dulwich]]
| Southwark, Lambeth
|-
! SE22
| LONDON
| ''East Dulwich district:'' [[East Dulwich]], [[Peckham Rye]]
| Southwark
|-
! SE23
| LONDON
| ''Forest Hill district:'' [[Forest Hill, London|Forest Hill]], [[Honor Oak]], [[Crofton Park]] (part), [[Perry Vale]]
| Lewisham, Southwark
|-
! SE24
| LONDON
| ''Herne Hill district:'' [[Herne Hill]], Tulse Hill (part), West Dulwich (part)
| Lambeth, Southwark
|-
! SE25
| LONDON
| ''South Norwood district:'' [[South Norwood]], [[Selhurst]] (part), [[Thornton Heath]] (part), [[Woodside, London|Woodside]] (part)
| Croydon
|-
! SE26
| LONDON
| ''Sydenham district:'' [[Sydenham, London|Sydenham]], [[Crystal Palace, London|Crystal Palace]] (part)
| Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark
|-
! SE27
| LONDON
| ''West Norwood district:'' [[West Norwood]], Gipsy Hill (part), Tulse Hill (part)
| Lambeth
|-
! SE28
| LONDON
| ''Thamesmead district:'' [[Thamesmead]]
| Greenwich, Bexley
</onlyinclude> 
|}

==Boundaries==
SE1 has a very long [[Tideway|tidal]] [[River Thames|Thames]] frontage and is in Central London as is SE11, named after Kennington, close to [[Westminster]]. SE2–SE18 are spread across the north and east of the postcode area; enquiring into their naming system explains how SE2, SE7, SE8, SE10, SE16 and SE18 also front the river. Postcode districts SE19–SE27 form a group in the southwest. The later addition, SE28, is in the northeast corner of the first group. 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, some residents in [[West Heath, London|West Heath]], a slight projection with neighbouring areas, wished to have their postcodes changed from SE2 to the adjacent [[DA postcode area|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.<ref name="crack code">{{cite news |url= http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/archive/display.var.334327.0.cracking_the_codes_not_easy.php |work= [[This is Local London]] |title= Cracking the codes not easy |date= 12 March 2002 |access-date= 24 March 2010 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080526111315/http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/archive/display.var.334327.0.cracking_the_codes_not_easy.php |archive-date= 26 May 2008 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>

==Map==
{{Attached KML|display=inline}}
{{Postcode area imagemap|map=SE postcode area|size=800x320px}}

==See also==
*[[Postcode Address File]]
*[[List of postcode areas in the United Kingdom]]
*[[London postal district]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.poweredbypaf.com/ Royal Mail's Postcode Address File]
*[http://www.poweredbypaf.com/how-the-royal-mail-postcode-address-file-paf-helps-organisations-verify-their-customers-identities/ A quick introduction to Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926234202/https://www.poweredbypaf.com/how-the-royal-mail-postcode-address-file-paf-helps-organisations-verify-their-customers-identities/ |date=26 September 2018 }}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE1|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728230708/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE1.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE2|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920211246/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE2.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE3|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920211429/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE3.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE4|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625062648/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE4.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE5|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920211746/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE5.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE6|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920211952/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE6.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE7|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706220711/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE7.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE8|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920212225/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE8.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE9|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920212554/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE9.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE10|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920212810/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE10.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE11|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920212853/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE11.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE12|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919144412/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE12.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE13|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401043504/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/se13.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE14|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202005111/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE15.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE15|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202005111/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE15.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE16|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003327/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE16.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE17|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003538/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE17.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE18|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003627/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE18.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE19|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919144808/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE19.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE20|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003706/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE20.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE21|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027233823/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE21.html?}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE22|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003731/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE22.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE23|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027234037/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE23.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE24|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003757/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE24.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE25|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920211145/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE25.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE26|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003823/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE26.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE27|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707160648/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE27.html}}
*{{cite postcode project|SE28|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922003918/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/SE28.html}}
{{Refend}}
{{div col end}}

{{Postcode areas in the United Kingdom}}
{{London postcode areas}}

[[Category:Postcode areas covering London]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Bexley]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Bromley]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Croydon]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Lewisham]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Southwark]]

SE postcode area - Revision history

2A02:6B67:DFF2:7A00:78BF:77BD:499E:AB79 at 07:20, 1 July 2025