Changing boundaries

Is it reliable to use postcodes to decide what is and what isn't part of Notting Hill? The answer to this is probably no as boundaries (postal areas and boroughs) can change over time.

Historically, Notting Hill came under the control of the Royal Borough of Kensington. This was up until 1965, when it merged with Chelsea to form the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Even today, if you look closely enough, you will find that there are still plenty of Royal Borough of Kensington street name plates throughout the roads in the area.

The W10 (North Kensington) and W11 (Notting Hill) postcodes are, for the most part, located within the current royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea. However, this does not paint the complete story. Some streets in W10 come under Brent and City of Westminster, whereas some streets in W11 fall under the jurisdiction of Westminster and even Hammersmith and Fulham.

The design of the street name plates have changed over the years. The information displayed can be confusing, but below is a brief history of postcodes in the UK, which makes deciphering them easier:

• Postal areas were introduced by Royal Mail in 1857/8. London was split into postal areas: EC (East Central), WC (West Central), N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW. The S and NE sectors were later abolished.
• In 1917, as a wartime measure to improve efficiency, each postal district was subdivided into sub-districts each identified by a number; the area served directly by the district head office was allocated the number 1. The other numbers were allocated alphabetically by delivery office.
• The current alphanumeric postcode system was introduced between 1959 and 1967.

Getting back to the matter in hand, boundary lines change over time. Proof of this can be seen in the images below. Dalgarno Gardens is a residential street in W10. Nowadays it is located in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, very near Scrubs Lane (Hammersmith and Fulham). However, you can clearly see that it used to belong to the Borough of Hammersmith. The main plate would have been added some time between 1857 and 1917 (as it only has a W postal area), and a smaller W10 plate would have added between 1917 and before 1965. 

Old street name plate in Dalgarno Gardens (pre-1917) © Jason Enright
 

Modern Dalgarno Gardens street name plate (post-1965) © Jason Enright