User:Richardguk/E postcode area

The E (Eastern) postcode area, also known as the London E postcode area, is the part of the London postal district covering part of east London, England and also Sewardstone in Essex.

The postcode area covers the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the London Borough of Waltham Forest and the London Borough of Newham and parts of the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Redbridge. The postcode area does not cover all of East London; the remainder is covered by the RM and IG postcode areas. Some parts of Hackney are in the N postcode area. The E4 postal district uniquely extends beyond the Greater London boundary and covers part of the Epping Forest district of Essex around Sewardstone.

History
The current E postcode area was originally formed in 1866 as a merger of the E and NE areas created in 1858. In 1917 the postal districts were numbered alphabetically by their location; the districts usually cover a wider area than their names might suggest. As of 2004, the district names do not form part of the postal address.

Due to high demand, sector 9 of the E1 postcode district was split and recoded in 1999 to create an E1W postcode district around Wapping; the rest of the district did not gain an additional character. Where districts are used for purposes other than the sorting of mail, such as use as a geographic reference and on street signs, E1 and E1W continue to be classed as one 'district'. The E postcode area contains two non-geographic districts for high-volume business users.

Coverage
The approximate coverage of the postal districts:

Adjacent areas
Clockwise from the east, the adjacent postcode areas are: IG (Ilford), SE (London SE), EC (London EC), N (London N), EN (Enfield).