Before postal codes

Remember when we all lived NEAR somewhere, when we didn't actually live in a large town or city. Even though postal codes have been around a long time, sometimes we still have to put nr, somewhere or other to be sure it gets there OK.Or is this just me having lived abroad for so long?

Remember when we all lived NEAR somewhere, when we didn't actually live in a large town or city. Even though postal codes have been around a long time, sometimes we still have to put nr, somewhere or other to be sure it gets there OK.Or is this just me having lived abroad for so long?

 

Yes, I remember that. Sometimes we said "off" a certain major road as well. Addresses can be much shorter these days.

 

Conversely, I recall the postal system taking great pride in deciphering partial or confusing addresses to ensure a letter was delivered. Not so sure that happens as much today.

...Even though postal codes have been around a long time, sometimes we still have to put nr, somewhere or other to be sure it gets there OK. Or is this just me having lived abroad for so long?

Well, before the codes were introduced in the UK in the 1960s (after a trial at Norwich in 1959) every postal address - as approved by the Post Office - had the name of a "post town". The address of anyone living in an outer suburb or a small village would include the name of that town (e.g. Worrall, SHEFFIELD). The guidance for addressing letters as given in the Post Office Guide at that time stated that the name of the post town should preferably be written in upper-case letters to facilitate sorting, and if there was "strong local objection" to an address having the appearance of being in a large town or city, the word "near" or "via" could be written before the name of the post town. So an address might include for example "Worrall, near SHEFFIELD". Sometimes these villages were quite a long way from the post town, and for example in the 1950s I remember the address of the Blue John Cavern being given as "Castleton, via Sheffield".

 

The word "near" is rarely used nowadays and it doesn't feature in any postal address as given on the Royal Mail website, though the name of a village or outer suburb is often included in the approved address - for example the address of Chapeltown P.O. is

 

2 Burncross Road

Chapeltown

SHEFFIELD

S35 1SF

 

Nowadays the postcode is enough to get a letter to within a short distance of its destination, as a postcode is shared by an average of about 15 properties. So the important thing is for a letter to have the correct postcode.

 

When postal codes (as they were then known) were first introduced, they were supposed to replace county names by the mid-1970s, but the population as a whole were slow to begin using the codes and this took quite a long time. However, county names have not featured in Royal Mail-approved addresses since 1996 - though Royal Mail has no objection to their use.

...Conversely, I recall the postal system taking great pride in deciphering partial or confusing addresses to ensure a letter was delivered. Not so sure that happens as much today.

Yes - at large sorting offices some members of staff were known as "blind" sorters. That is, they were adept at reading badly-written addresses! Edited November 24, 2015 by hillsbro

I remember a letter that once arrived at my parents' house addressed thus:

 

Turning opposite the Hearty Good Fellow

First turning on the left

Fourth house on the left

Southwell

Notts

 

And yes it was meant for them.

I worked for the GPO/Royal Mail for 45 years and helped devise Postcodes. If my memory serves me well, I think the Sheffield Postcode system was introduced in 1968.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Nigel Womersle

... If my memory serves me well, I think the Sheffield Postcode system was introduced in 1968.

Your memory is good - in Dykes Hall Road we were actually given our S6 4GN postal code in September 1967.

Before the modern postal codes there was a more primitive version though. I remember moving from Sheffield 2 (Park District) to Sheffield 13 (Stradbroke). Or was it Sheffield 12?

Your memory is good - in Dykes Hall Road we were actually given our S6 4GN postal code in September 1967.

 

That code looks very familiar, I lived about halfway up Minto rd, for a couple of years in the 70's, would that have been my code then?

Before the modern postal codes there was a more primitive version though. I remember moving from Sheffield 2 (Park District) to Sheffield 13 (Stradbroke). Or was it Sheffield 12?

Hi softayperth - they were really district numbers rather than postal codes; the first of these were the London W1, SE1 etc. that date from 1857. The original district numbers more-or-less corresponded with the district number portion of the postcode. Stradbroke was indeed Sheffield 13, and nowadays postcodes in the area begin with S13.

That code looks very familiar, I lived about halfway up Minto rd, for a couple of years in the 70's, would that have been my code then?

You weren't far away on Minto Road which is in the same "sector" of the S6 district (Sector 4). My cousin lived at 38 Minto Road and their postcode was S6 4GL. The shops in Middlewood Road between Minto Road and Dykes Hall Road have the code S6 4GX.

Hi softayperth - they were really district numbers rather than postal codes; the first of these were the London W1, SE1 etc. that date from 1857. The original district numbers more-or-less corresponded with the district number portion of the postcode. Stradbroke was indeed Sheffield 13, and nowadays postcodes in the area begin with S13.You weren't far away on Minto Road which is in the same "sector" of the S6 district (Sector 4). My cousin lived at 38 Minto Road and their postcode was S6 4GL. The shops in Middlewood Road between Minto Road and Dykes Hall Road have the code S6 4GX.

 

That sounds even more familiar, I believe we were at 26 Minto. We were in that block that was condemned for subsidence or something. The council had to fix us up and we got a brand new house on the then new Langsett estate. That was my last house in England on Primrose Hill., funny enough I haven't a clue what that postal code was lol

 

---------- Post added 24-11-2015 at 12:37 ----------

 

I worked for the GPO/Royal Mail for 45 years and helped devise Postcodes. If my memory serves me well, I think the Sheffield Postcode system was introduced in 1968.

 

Forgive me if I appear nosey, but you sound like you were part of GPO management. My reason for the enquiry is that my Mum worked for a top GPO executive as his personal secretary. During the early 70's, she accompanied him to a conference with all the major post office executives of the world in Lausanne Switzerland. I was just curious as to if you knew what that was all about as I never did get much out of my mother other than her tourist ventures lol. I cannot ask her now, as she passed away 7 years ago..

Edited November 24, 2015 by TORONTONY
typo

Sheffield 12 was gleadless.

... a conference with all the major post office executives of the world in Lausanne Switzerland...

I think this would have been the 17th Postal Union Congress, which took place at Lausanne in 1974 - see here.