Map of the SW postcode area
Use the interactive map to explore the area boundary and neighbouring postcode areas.
Overview
The SW Postcode Area
The SW postcode area covers much of south-west London and falls entirely within Greater London. It is one of the capital’s most prominent postcode areas, encompassing central government, royal landmarks, major cultural institutions and extensive residential districts stretching south and west of the River Thames.
At its core lies SW1, which contains some of the most significant buildings in the United Kingdom, including the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and St James’s Park, alongside major galleries such as Tate Britain. Surrounding this central area are districts including Belgravia, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Chelsea, Pimlico and Fulham, home to internationally known museums, embassies and cultural venues.
Further west and south, the area becomes more residential, taking in neighbourhoods such as Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham, Balham, Tooting, Streatham, Brixton and Battersea, the latter dominated by the landmark Battersea Power Station. To the west, Wimbledon forms a town in its own right, internationally known for its tennis championships, alongside suburban areas such as Raynes Park.
The SW area is one of London’s most important transport hubs, containing London Victoria and Clapham Junction, one of the busiest railway stations in Europe, linking the area to the rest of London and the south of England.
The SW postcode area covers South West London.
The postcode area borders the following neighbouring postcode areas: CR - Croydon, SM - Sutton, KT - Kingston upon Thames, WC - London - WC, SE - London - SE, W - London - W and TW - Twickenham. It also borders The Tidal Thames.
The postcode area falls within the following counties: Greater London (100.00%).
Map of the SW London Postcode
Quick facts
| Width east to west | 7.84 mi |
|---|---|
| Height north to south | 8.32 mi |
| Area | 39.96 mi² |
| Maximum width | 9.21 mi |
| Perimeter | 51.77 mi |
| Postcode districts | 28 |
| Postcode sectors | 137 |
| Post towns | 1 |
| Postcodes | 19,962 |
| Population | 874,844 |
The SW postcode area has a population of 874,844 and covers 102,329 hectares. Roughly 1.35% of the population of Great Britain lives here.
How this area fits into London postcodes
The SW area is part of London’s distinctive postcode system.
View London postcodesPost towns and postcode districts
Where is the SW postcode 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 SW13 and the most urban is SW1H.
| Postcode district | Total area (m²) | Footprint area (m²) | Built percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW13 | 3,845,476 | 553,116 | 14.38% |
| SW15 | 10,806,988 | 1,581,418 | 14.63% |
| SW20 | 5,900,885 | 962,397 | 16.31% |
| SW19 | 15,583,912 | 2,705,403 | 17.36% |
| SW14 | 3,112,044 | 591,576 | 19.01% |
| SW1A | 1,192,887 | 250,177 | 20.97% |
| SW16 | 9,665,063 | 2,076,562 | 21.49% |
| SW18 | 6,797,486 | 1,754,622 | 25.81% |
| SW4 | 3,919,374 | 1,062,060 | 27.10% |
| SW11 | 5,791,331 | 1,590,228 | 27.46% |
| SW17 | 6,184,720 | 1,706,313 | 27.59% |
| SW8 | 3,425,402 | 956,859 | 27.93% |
| SW2 | 3,917,023 | 1,142,664 | 29.17% |
| SW9 | 2,929,292 | 892,925 | 30.48% |
| SW12 | 2,888,845 | 895,195 | 30.99% |
| SW6 | 5,250,711 | 1,739,175 | 33.12% |
| SW10 | 1,267,900 | 422,570 | 33.33% |
| SW5 | 771,913 | 299,140 | 38.75% |
| SW1V | 1,081,544 | 429,714 | 39.73% |
| SW3 | 1,899,731 | 781,179 | 41.12% |
| SW1P | 890,373 | 404,911 | 45.48% |
| SW7 | 1,637,405 | 761,169 | 46.49% |
| SW1W | 812,582 | 401,351 | 49.39% |
| SW1X | 795,473 | 416,140 | 52.31% |
| SW1E | 196,188 | 112,160 | 57.17% |
| SW1Y | 280,605 | 179,996 | 64.15% |
| SW1H | 174,558 | 141,882 | 81.28% |
| Total | 101,019,711 | 24,810,902 | 24.56% |
Area measurements
| Hectares | 102,329 |
|---|---|
| Square miles | 395.09 |
| Square feet | 11,014,591,231.00 |
| Square kilometres | 1,023.29 |
Postal delivery offices
- Balham S Delivery Office
- Barnes S Delivery Office
- Battersea S Delivery Office
- Brixton S Delivery Office
- Chelsea S Delivery Office
- Clapham S Delivery Office
- Earls Court S Delivery Office
- Fulham S Delivery Office
- Mortlake S Delivery Office
- Putney S Delivery Office
- South Kensington S Delivery Office
- South Lambeth S Delivery Office
- Stockwell S Delivery Office
- Streatham S Delivery Office
- Tooting S Delivery Office
- Victoria
- Wandsworth S Delivery Office
- West Brompton S Delivery Office
- West Wimbledon S Delivery Office
- Wimbledon S Delivery Office
Tourist attractions within the area
We found 20 visitor attractions within the South West London postcode area.
| London Wetland Centre |
|---|
| Wildlife |
| Nature Reserve / Wetlands / Wildlife Trips |
| View on Google Maps |
| Wimbledon Windmill Museum |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Wimbledon Museum of Local History |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Villages in Time |
| Other |
| View on Google Maps |
| Natural History Museum |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Science Museum |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Victoria and Albert Museum |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Carlyle's House |
| Historic Properties |
| Historic House / House and Garden / Palace |
| View on Google Maps |
| Go Ape! Battersea Park |
| Country Parks |
| Country Park |
| View on Google Maps |
| Wellington Arch |
| Historic Properties |
| Historic Monument / Archaeological Site |
| View on Google Maps |
| Wizz Kidz |
| Leisure / Theme Parks |
| Leisure / Theme Park |
| View on Google Maps |
| 575 Wandsworth Road |
| Historic Properties |
| Historic House / House and Garden / Palace |
| View on Google Maps |
| Churchill War Rooms |
| Visitor Centres |
| Heritage / Visitor Centre |
| View on Google Maps |
| Household Cavalry Museum |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Tate Britain |
| Museums & Art Galleries |
| Museum and / or Art Gallery |
| View on Google Maps |
| Westminster Abbey |
| Places of Worship |
| Place of Worship (still in use) |
| View on Google Maps |
| Jewel Tower |
| Historic Properties |
| Historic Monument / Archaeological Site |
| View on Google Maps |
| Banqueting House |
| Historic Properties |
| Historic House / House and Garden / Palace |
| View on Google Maps |
| Houses of Parliament |
| Historic Properties |
| Historic House / House and Garden / Palace |
| View on Google Maps |
Towns and villages within the area
- Balham — Urban Area
- Barnes — Urban Area
- Battersea — Urban Area
- Belgravia — Urban Area
- Brixton — Urban Area
- Brixton Hill — Urban Area
- Brockwell Park — Urban Area
- Buckingham Palace — Urban Area
- Camberwell — Urban Area
- Charing Cross — Urban Area
- Chelsea — Urban Area
- Chelsea Harbour — Urban Area
- Chiswick — Urban Area
- Clapham — Urban Area
- Clapham Common — Urban Area
- Colliers Wood — Urban Area
- Croydon — Urban Area
- Fulham — Urban Area
- Green Park — Urban Area
- Hammersmith — Urban Area
- Hyde Park — Urban Area
- Hyde Park Corner — Urban Area
- Kennington — Urban Area
- Kensington — Urban Area
- Kensington Gardens — Urban Area
- Kingston on Thames — Urban Area
- Knightsbridge — Urban Area
- Malden — Urban Area
- Merton — Urban Area
- Mitcham — Urban Area
- Morden — Urban Area
- Mortlake — Urban Area
- Motspur Park — Urban Area
- Nine Elms — Urban Area
- Pimlico — Urban Area
- Putney — Urban Area
- Raynes Park — Urban Area
- Richmond — Urban Area
- Soho — Urban Area
- South Lambeth — Urban Area
- St James — Urban Area
- St James Park — Urban Area
- Stockwell — Urban Area
- Streatham — Urban Area
- Streatham Hill — Urban Area
- Thornton Heath — Urban Area
- Tooting — Urban Area
- Tulse Hill — Urban Area
- Upper Norwood — Urban Area
- Vauxhall — Urban Area
- Wandsworth — Urban Area
- West Norwood — Urban Area
- Westminster — Urban Area
- Whitehall — Urban Area
- Wimbledon — Urban Area