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Archiver > LONDON > 2000-01 > 0946756210


From: "David Foster" <>
Subject: Re: Southwark
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 19:50:10 -0000


Your message started me thinking about our sense of place when
thinking/talking about London. My home town is Twickenham which I still
think of as in Middlesex and not as part of London, however, I'd consider
Tottenham or Edmonton, which are roughly as far out from Middlesex Guildhall
as Twickenham, to be definitely North London boroughs.
The other strange thing is that I divide London into West, North and East
but would continue clockwise and talk of South-East, South and South-West.
These are almost Mental Maps rather than geographical ones because, I
realise, as far as I am concerned South London is a small area to the south
of the Thames roughly between Lambeth and Deptford and actually surrounded
by South-West and South-East which meet up somewhere about Streatham.
As Southwark Cathedral is just across London Bridge from the City of London
I find its SE1 post district difficult to get to grips with - as I say to me
it's South London. Peckham, 3 miles South and East of Southwark fits my
perception and its SE post district is okay by me.

Why didn't the Post Office designate North and South Central areas to
balance EC and WC - I'd be very happy for Southwark to be in SC1: or did
they originally? I can see that this needs some research and is very
relevant to pin-pointing ancestors.

I wonder what happened to my map of the London Postal Districts does anyone
know of one on-line anywhere?
----- Original Message -----
From: hanks <>


> Southwark is/was(?)a south-eastern suburb (borough) of London! My Grandad
> lived there and yes, Peckham is in it.

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