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Sorting Britain: The Power of Postcodes

This is a past exhibition. See events coming up at The Postal Museum.

Don’t miss the story of the ground-breaking technology that changed the post forever.

From wartime tech pioneers to Poco the Postcode Elephant, uncover the surprising story of the postcode. Sorting Britain delves into the Post Office innovation that revolutionised how post was processed, sorted, and delivered and its unintended outcomes for life in Britain.

Exhibition highlights included:

Ideal Home Exhibition 1960 — ELSIE: Letter sorting machine. Image from exhibit at the Ideal Home Exhibition, Olympia, 1960 (POST 118/15222)

'London Postal District map: Showing the position of each London and Suburban Sorting Office with the Cart routes and circulation through the East and West Central Districts'

Poco The Elephant badge, reminding people to use postcodes on addresses.

A map showing how London districts were became divided by postcode.

PL152 7/61 Side A of leaflet from: POST110/6043 (Publications advertising postal coding 1961-1994)

Early map of central London districts and sub districts by postcode.

Explore postcodes

Find out more about how postcodes came to be, the innovative way they’ve been used, and the surprising ways they’ve impacted society.