| Area Code: | IG |
The IG postcode area, also known as the Ilford postcode area,[1] is a group of eleven postcode districts in England, within six post towns. These cover parts of eastern Greater London and south-west Essex.
Inward mail for the area is sorted, along with mail for the E and RM postcode areas, at the Romford Mail Centre.
Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill are covered by Woodford Green Royal Mail Delivery Office [2]
The area served includes much of the London Borough of Redbridge, the western part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and the southwestern part of the Epping Forest district of Essex, while the western part of IG8 and IG11 covers a small part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, and the London Borough of Newham.
The approximate coverage of the postcode districts is as follows:[3] ! IG1| ILFORD| Ilford, Cranbrook, Loxford (part)| Redbridge|-! IG2| ILFORD| Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Aldborough Hatch| Redbridge|-! IG3| ILFORD| Seven Kings, Goodmayes| Redbridge|-! IG4| ILFORD| Redbridge| Redbridge|-! IG5| ILFORD| Clayhall| Redbridge|-! IG6| ILFORD| Fairlop, Barkingside, Chigwell, Hainault (south)| Redbridge|-! IG7| CHIGWELL| Chigwell, Chigwell Row, Hainault (north)| Epping Forest, Redbridge|-! IG8| WOODFORD GREEN| Woodford Green, Woodford Bridge, Highams Park (part)| Redbridge, Waltham Forest|-! IG9| BUCKHURST HILL| Buckhurst Hill| Epping Forest|-! IG10| LOUGHTON| Loughton, High Beach (part)| Epping Forest|-! IG11| BARKING| Barking, Barking Riverside, Beckton (part), Creekmouth, Loxford (part), Thames View, Upney| Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Redbridge|}
In 2005, a local businessman named Wilson Chowdhry led a campaign for Ilford's IG1 postcode to be changed to E19. Although Ilford has been part of Greater London since 1965, it is not within the London post town. Chowdhry argued that the IG1 postcode confused customers, and that a London E postcode would help bring more business into Ilford. However, a Royal Mail spokesman said that the campaign had "virtually no hope" of succeeding, as postcodes are only changed for operational reasons.[4]
A similar plea had been raised in the 1970s by Greater London Council politician Serge Lourie, and similarly rejected. Ilford had been part of the original E division of the London postal district from 1857 until 1866.[5]