Postcode area guide

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BS postcode area

Explore the Bristol postcode area with maps, quick facts, towns, delivery offices, neighbouring areas and postcode district coverage.

The BS area code stands for b and s in <strong>B</strong>ri<strong>S</strong>tol.

Map of the BS postcode area

Use the interactive map to explore the area boundary and neighbouring postcode areas.

Overview

The BS Postcode Area

The BS postcode area covers a large part of the south-west of England, centred on the city of Bristol. Around 43% of the area lies within Bristol City, with the remainder extending into Somerset and Gloucestershire. The area includes a mix of historic port cities, coastal towns, market towns and rural landscapes.

Bristol is a historic port city on the River Avon and forms the economic and cultural centre of the postcode area. The city is known for its Floating Harbour, engineered to overcome the extreme tidal range of the Avon, and for landmarks including the SS Great Britain, the Cabot Tower, built in 1897 to commemorate John Cabot’s voyage to North America, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and spanning the Avon Gorge. Bristol is also home to Bristol Temple Meads, the city’s principal rail station, a cathedral, St Mary Redcliffe church, a major university, and a long-established arts and music scene.

At the mouth of the Avon are the major port facilities of Avonmouth and the Portbury Dock, which handle container traffic and vehicle imports. Around six miles south-west of the city centre lies Bristol Airport, serving domestic and international destinations.

Beyond Bristol, the BS area includes coastal towns such as Weston-super-Mare, known for its beach and Grand Pier, Clevedon, and Portishead, a former fishing port. Inland are towns including Nailsea, which has a history of coal mining and glassmaking, and Keynsham, situated on the River Chew.

To the south of the area lies Cheddar, a large village known for its association with Cheddar cheese, and for Cheddar Gorge and Caves, where the remains of Cheddar Man, dating to around 10,000 years ago, were discovered. Nearby is Axbridge, a small historic town on the River Axe, home to King John’s Hunting Lodge, now a National Trust museum.

To the north of Bristol, the postcode area extends into South Gloucestershire, including market towns such as Thornbury and Yate. Historic sites in the wider area include Cadbury Camp, an Iron Age hill fort overlooking the Bristol Channel, one of several sites in the region associated with early settlement and legend.

Together, the BS postcode area combines a major historic port city with coastal resorts, industrial docklands, market towns and distinctive rural landscapes, reflecting the long maritime, industrial and cultural history of the Bristol region.

The BS postcode area covers Bristol and nearby parts of South West England.

The postcode area borders the following neighbouring postcode areas: TA - Taunton, SN - Swindon, GL - Gloucester, NP - Newport and BA - Bath. It also borders The Bristol Channel.

The postcode area falls within the following counties: Bristol (43.18%), Somerset (32.68%), Gloucestershire (24.14%).

Map of the BS Postcode for Bristol

Map of The TA Postcode Area
Terrain Map of the BS - Bristol Postcode.

Quick facts

BS area statistics
Width east to west30.65 mi
Height north to south34.16 mi
Area451.11 mi²
Maximum width36.19 mi
Perimeter147.21 mi
Postcode districts39
Postcode sectors166
Post towns8
Postcodes26,955
Population940,241

The BS postcode area has a population of 940,241 and covers 1,160,476 hectares. Roughly 1.45% of the population of Great Britain lives here.

Post towns and postcode districts

Where is the BS postcode area?

Location map for the BS postcode area
Location map of the postcode area.
Word cloud for the BS postcode area
Word cloud of place names within the area.

How built up is the postcode area?

This compares building footprint coverage against the total land area across each postcode district. The least urban district is BS28 and the most urban is BS1.

Postcode district Total area (m²) Footprint area (m²) Built percentage
BS28 43,763,891 433,748 0.99%
BS26 48,723,008 537,470 1.10%
BS40 146,884,394 1,634,583 1.11%
BS39 73,247,422 1,127,644 1.54%
BS41 20,853,101 369,228 1.77%
BS27 31,662,183 590,088 1.86%
BS29 11,699,990 221,070 1.89%
BS25 27,876,952 602,752 2.16%
BS35 92,240,576 2,051,638 2.22%
BS37 90,027,184 2,401,494 2.67%
BS24 54,315,787 1,461,055 2.69%
BS48 56,002,645 1,552,084 2.77%
BS49 30,814,462 864,563 2.81%
BS21 41,517,610 1,274,000 3.07%
BS36 25,323,321 909,362 3.59%
BS30 40,370,531 1,520,671 3.77%
BS32 26,413,040 1,197,985 4.54%
BS8 22,551,174 1,032,318 4.58%
BS31 25,030,587 1,184,164 4.73%
BS20 35,029,280 1,948,490 5.56%
BS22 24,727,466 1,667,098 6.74%
BS10 20,152,976 1,642,391 8.15%
BS14 13,740,137 1,207,214 8.79%
BS16 36,907,012 3,540,959 9.59%
BS11 17,315,436 1,851,162 10.69%
BS13 9,294,818 1,051,764 11.32%
BS9 11,252,222 1,321,164 11.74%
BS23 11,434,557 1,557,339 13.62%
BS34 13,417,773 2,025,043 15.09%
BS15 11,351,392 1,806,794 15.92%
BS4 11,832,569 1,943,894 16.43%
BS7 7,830,206 1,392,389 17.78%
BS3 7,360,682 1,491,639 20.26%
BS5 8,533,124 1,737,394 20.36%
BS6 3,739,371 946,347 25.31%
BS2 3,592,747 996,408 27.73%
BS1 2,686,110 887,215 33.03%
Total 1,159,515,736 49,980,621 4.31%
Map of the BS postcode area
Boundary map showing BS in relation to neighbouring areas.
Map of post towns in the BS postal area
Post towns within the BS postal area.

Area measurements

Hectares1,160,476
Square miles4,480.62
Square feet124,912,476,164.00
Square kilometres11,604.76

Postal delivery offices

  • Avonmouth Delivery Office
  • Axbridge Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Blag Delivery Office N Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Bristol City Delivery Office
  • Bristol East Central Delivery Office
  • Bristol East Delivery Office
  • Bristol North Delivery Office
  • Bristol South Delivery Office
  • Bristol South East Delivery Office
  • Cheddar Delivery Office
  • Chew Stoke Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Clevedon Delivery Office
  • Clifton (bs) Delivery Office
  • Clutton Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Compton Martin Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Easter Compton Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Felton Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Fishponds Delivery Office
  • Hallatrow Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Keynsham Delivery Office
  • Kingswood Delivery Office
  • Long Ashton Wayside Office
  • Mangotsfield Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Nailsea Delivery Office
  • Patchway Delivery Office
  • Paulton Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Pensford Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Pill Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Pilning Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Portishead Delivery Office
  • Thornbury Delivery Office
  • Wedmore Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Westbury On Trym Delivery Office
  • Weston Super Mare Delivery Office
  • Winscombe Delivery Office
  • Winterbourne Delivery Office
  • Wrington Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Yate Delivery Office
  • Yatton Scale Payment Delivery Office

Tourist attractions within the area

We found 14 visitor attractions within the Bristol postcode area.

The Helicopter Museum
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
Trelissick Gardens
Gardens
Garden
View on Google Maps
Curzon Cinema & Arts
Historic Properties
Other Historic Property
View on Google Maps
Clevedon Court
Historic Properties
Historic House / House and Garden / Palace
View on Google Maps
Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Wildlife
Safari Park / Zoo / Aquarium / Aviary
View on Google Maps
Tyntesfield
Historic Properties
Historic House / House and Garden / Palace
View on Google Maps
Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre
Historic Properties
Historic Monument / Archaeological Site
View on Google Maps
Bristol Zoo Gardens
Wildlife
Safari Park / Zoo / Aquarium / Aviary
View on Google Maps
Wild Place Project
Wildlife
Safari Park / Zoo / Aquarium / Aviary
View on Google Maps
Brunel's ss Great Britain
Historic Properties
Other Historic Property
View on Google Maps
St John the Baptist's Church, Bristol
Places of Worship
Place of Worship (still in use)
View on Google Maps
Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust
Historic Properties
Other Historic Property
View on Google Maps
Thornbury and District Museum
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
Coronation Park
Country Parks
Country Park
View on Google Maps

Nearby postcode areas

Neighbouring context

The postcode area borders the following neighbouring postcode areas: TA - Taunton, SN - Swindon, GL - Gloucester, NP - Newport and BA - Bath. It also borders The Bristol Channel.

Towns and villages within the area

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