On 07/08/10 20:35, Peter Smyth wrote:

It is the post towns with (N) after them in this list

http://abcounties.co.uk/bpa/bpasection3.htm

Generally seems to be towns with the same name as the county, plus other
towns deemed large and famous enough to not need a county.

Thanks - that's exactly what I was looking for!

Cheers,

-roy

On Aug 7, 9:41*pm, Roy Badami wrote:

On 07/08/10 20:59, Mizter T wrote:

I like how that page dutifully lists all the London postcodes and the
olde counties that they're in - though I'm sure that many postcodes
straddle the old boundaries so presumably it's what the county the
majority of the postcode sits in that the author has used.

Postal counties are a bit arbitrary anyway, and don't entirely conform
to the real world.

Sure - if we're going by postal counties, then the list on the ABC
website is a nonsense I think - all London postcodes (NW, N, E, W, SW,
SW, WC, EC) are in the post town of "London", and I don't think the
post town of London belongs to any postal county, let alone multiple
postal counties (so "NW4 xxx, Middlesex" for an address in Hendon was
never strictly speaking a correct address).


I grew up in "Rochdale, Lancs." even though Rochdale hadn't been in
Lancashire since the creation of Greater Manchester.

And I grew up in London, though someone will be along to say that
unless I grew up within the boundaries of the City, I didn't... ;-)

On 07/08/10 21:57, Mizter T wrote:

Sure - if we're going by postal counties, then the list on the ABC
website is a nonsense I think - all London postcodes (NW, N, E, W, SW,
SW, WC, EC) are in the post town of "London", and I don't think the
post town of London belongs to any postal county, let alone multiple
postal counties (so "NW4 xxx, Middlesex" for an address in Hendon was
never strictly speaking a correct address).

Yes, the site does actually say: "County names have never been a part of
recommended postal addresses within the "LONDON" postal area. In fact,
the "LONDON" postal area presents something of a challenge to those who
seek to use County names within it."

http://abcounties.co.uk/bpa/bpasection2.htm

On Aug 7, 10:01*pm, Roy Badami wrote:

On 07/08/10 21:57, Mizter T wrote:

Sure - if we're going by postal counties, then the list on the ABC
website is a nonsense I think - all London postcodes (NW, N, E, W, SW,
SW, WC, EC) are in the post town of "London", and I don't think the
post town of London belongs to any postal county, let alone multiple
postal counties (so "NW4 xxx, Middlesex" for an address in Hendon was
never strictly speaking a correct address).

Yes, the site does actually say: "County names have never been a part of
recommended postal addresses within the "LONDON" postal area. In fact,
the "LONDON" postal area presents something of a challenge to those who
seek to use County names within it."

http://abcounties.co.uk/bpa/bpasection2.htm

Me not bothering to actually read the site also presents something of
a challenge to my comprehension of it!

I recently came across an e-commerce site that required one to select
a county from a drop down list, a list which resolutely contained no
reference to London, and wondered whether the proprietor had designed
it as such deliberately...

On 07/08/10 22:37, Mizter T wrote:

I recently came across an e-commerce site that required one to select
a county from a drop down list, a list which resolutely contained no
reference to London, and wondered whether the proprietor had designed
it as such deliberately...

Living in Cambridge I'm always irritated by sites that require a county,
since no one writes "Cambridge, Cambs." - but at least Cambridgeshire is
normally offered as an option!

-roy

In article 46e7o.42381$806.20811@hurricane, (Roy
Badami) wrote:

On 07/08/10 14:18, wrote:

There are parts of the country where the lack of street addresses is
quite widespread. Round Llandrindod Wells, I think.

Now I come to think of it, I think the place where I encountered
this was in OS Address Point sample data, and I'm pretty sure the
sample data was for some part of Wales...

Llandrindod Wells did seem to be different from other places when I was
there (in 1985).

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article oWh7o.113034$Ds3.96847@hurricane, (Roy
Badami) wrote:

On 07/08/10 18:45, Roland Perry wrote:
The county has been optional for a long time.

Ok, Wikipedia tells me the county has been optional since 1996. I
was sure the change was more recent than that, but apparently not.

I'm still curious as to in which places the county wasn't
traditionally written, even prior to 1996. I'm guessing Nottingham
would be another example since "Nottingham, Notts." would be
somewhat odd, as you say.

1996 is a logical date for the change. It's when the estuarial counties
created in 1974 (Avon, Humberside & Cleveland) were abolished, as far as
local government was concerned anyway.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article FAj7o.78929$RO5.57792@hurricane, (Roy
Badami) wrote:

On 07/08/10 20:35, Peter Smyth wrote:

It is the post towns with (N) after them in this list

http://abcounties.co.uk/bpa/bpasection3.htm

Generally seems to be towns with the same name as the county, plus
other towns deemed large and famous enough to not need a county.

Thanks - that's exactly what I was looking for!

Except that it's total oblox in the London postal districts. I was brought
up in Putney and no-one but no-one has referred to that as being in Surrey
for over 150 years.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article wQj7o.58103$X%4.19734@hurricane, (Roy
Badami) wrote:

On 07/08/10 21:57, Mizter T wrote:

Sure - if we're going by postal counties, then the list on the ABC
website is a nonsense I think - all London postcodes (NW, N, E, W, SW,
SW, WC, EC) are in the post town of "London", and I don't think the
post town of London belongs to any postal county, let alone multiple
postal counties (so "NW4 xxx, Middlesex" for an address in Hendon was
never strictly speaking a correct address).

Yes, the site does actually say: "County names have never been a
part of recommended postal addresses within the "LONDON" postal
area. In fact, the "LONDON" postal area presents something of a
challenge to those who seek to use County names within it."

http://abcounties.co.uk/bpa/bpasection2.htm

To amplify my earlier comment on why their London data is utter oblox, the
use of counties in London is obsolete but they overlook completely that
each London postal district also has a name. They give SW19 as an example
and suggest:

Highbury Road
LONDON
Surrey
SW19 7PR

That example should of course be:

Highbury Road
Wimbledon
LONDON
SW19 7PR

if what is wanted is a more localised address than just "London SW19".

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article 5xk7o.72047$gM.61947@hurricane, (Roy
Badami) wrote:

On 07/08/10 22:37, Mizter T wrote:

I recently came across an e-commerce site that required one to select
a county from a drop down list, a list which resolutely contained no
reference to London, and wondered whether the proprietor had designed
it as such deliberately...

Living in Cambridge I'm always irritated by sites that require a
county, since no one writes "Cambridge, Cambs." - but at least
Cambridgeshire is normally offered as an option!

If I get a site insisting on a County I tend to put "X". I've not been
refused yet.

--
Colin Rosenstiel