Talk:Post town

World view

Post town is a common term used in English speaking countries to identify a town in which a Post office has been established. That should be stated with as wide a coverage as possible using verifiable sources. The use of the term post town in an address by Royal Mail is a modern use of the term but not its original, nor only, use. I will work on some sources but you can find quite a lot of information by searching google books and entering the phrase "post town" [1]. Let's see what we can find together to expand this article. Cheers ww2censor (talk) 00:06, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

I am going on a wikibreak, so cannot help until after May 1. Ok! ww2censor (talk) 04:24, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

@Ww2censor:: It is past 1st May. Kevin McE (talk) 17:37, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

Kevin McE: Indeed, but you are just a bit late to the party. Occasionally I look at this and try to find some decent sources for Australia, India, Ireland and other English speaking countries whose postal systems were set up by the British, or in their style. My Irish Post Office Guide clearly state the need for the correct post town in addresses. ww2censor (talk) 21:02, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

I don't think there is any equivalent in Australia or South Africa, where addresses are given in this sort of format (SA):-

47 Rockey Street

YEOVILLE

2198

or (Australia):-

99 George Street

PARRAMATTA NSW 2150

The capitalised part would be a town, suburb or the centre of a city. Booshank (talk) 22:35, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Required

The post town isn't technically required in a UK address that has a dependent locality or double dependent locality. The requirement is as many of sub-building, building name and building number as needed, then a dependent thoroughfare if one exists or else the thoroughfare (where one exists), and any one from double dependant locality, dependant locality or post town, then the post code. Hence, post town is not actually required for an address with a dependant locality, where that locality is registered in the PAF, but would be required otherwise. It's considered 'best' in the advice to consumers hand-writing letters to use all the locality information from the full (official) postal address but the guidance in Clear Addressing is You must include at least one locality element. You don't have to include them all,even if they are included in PAF®. 94.194.134.1 (talk) 22:02, 26 April 2016 (UTC)

Ambiguous Post Town Names

Why does it say (T) after Chester? There is no T postcode area and Chester is CH. 92.232.34.78 (talk) 13:00, 10 August 2018 (UTC)

Dependent locality

In the official addresses, why is it that some localities are listed for everywhere in that area whereas others are only listed to distinguish a road with the same name? It seems to be the more outlying localities (which are more often thought of as separate places) for which the locality's name appears in every address in the area.

Here is the finder: https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode

I shall use some examples local to me from Leeds, Wakefield and Dewsbury.

For Leeds, Headingley or Kirkstall is only used for a handful of addresses to distinguish the road. Morley or Rothwell is used for every address in the area, although LEEDS is always underneath it.

For Wakefield, Outwood or Wrenthorpe is only used for a handful of addresses to distinguish the road. Horbury or Tingley is used for every address in the area, although WAKEFIELD is always underneath it.

For Dewsbury, Chickenley or Earlsheaton is only used for a handful of addresses to distinguish the road. Thornhill or Whitley is used for every address in the area, although DEWSBURY is always underneath it.

Any ideas why this is? Epa101 (talk) 12:26, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Shared sorting route

What is a "shared sorting route"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.47.135.239 (talk) 21:08, 24 March 2021 (UTC)

Ambiguous post towns

What on Earth is that section about? There are no two post towns that share the first ten letters, and many many more PTs than those listed that have addresses that cannot be distinguished between without more info than just the post town. No reference and a very unclear text. The only return on Google is to this article. Can we just ditch it? Kevin McE (talk) 17:42, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

No response in a week, still unreferenced. Removing it. Kevin McE (talk) 22:17, 8 July 2021 (UTC)

There are plenty of post towns that share the first ten letters, because they have the same names (eg Richmond or Richmond, St Ives or St Ives). I'd consider that significant, if the purpose of a post town is to direct mail to the right area, how can it if there are two towns of that name?

The entries that listed were are where the place is so large, the post town by itself is not sufficient to identify the postcode district. The text looks like it was describing the technical specification of Mailsort not an inherent property of the post towns.--51.7.92.61 (talk) 22:58, 8 July 2021 (UTC)