View source for EC postcode area

{{Short description|Postcode area within the United Kingdom}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{redirect|EC1|the disastrous exercise in World War I|Battle of May Island}}
{{Infobox UK postcode area | area_code = EC }}
The '''EC (Eastern Central) postcode area''', also known as the '''London EC postal area''',<ref name=guide>{{cite book | publisher=Royal Mail Group | title=Address Management Guide | date=2004 | edition=4 | author=Royal Mail | author-link=Royal Mail }}</ref> is a group of postcode districts in central [[London]], [[England]]. It includes almost all of the [[City of London]] and parts of the [[London boroughs]] of [[Islington]], [[Camden Town|Camden]], [[Hackney, London|Hackney]], [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]] and [[Westminster]]. The area covered is of very high density development. Deliveries for the EC postcode area are made from [[Mount Pleasant Mail Centre]].

==Postal administration==
The current postcode districts are relatively recent divisions of EC1, EC2, EC3 and EC4, which were established in 1917. When the districts are used for purposes other than the sorting of mail, such as a geographic, spoken reference and on street signs, they continue to be commonly grouped into those four 'districts'.

===List of postcode districts===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}
{{Postcode area table start}}
<onlyinclude> <!-- Top of table -->
! EC1A
| London
| [[St Bartholomew's Hospital]]
| [[City of London]], [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]]
|-
! EC1M
| London
| [[Clerkenwell]], [[Farringdon, London|Farringdon]]
| Islington, [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], City of London
|-
! EC1N
| London
| [[Hatton Garden]]
| Camden, City of London
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|EC1P
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|London
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|''[[Non-geographic postcode|non-geographic]]''
|-
! EC1R
| London
| [[Finsbury]], [[Finsbury Estate]] (west)
| Islington, Camden
|-
! EC1V
| London
| Finsbury (east), [[Moorfields Eye Hospital]]
| Islington, [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]]
|-
! EC1Y
| London
| [[St Luke's, Islington|St Luke's]], [[Bunhill Fields]]
| Islington, City of London
|-
! EC2A
| London
| [[Shoreditch]]
| Islington, Hackney, City of London
|-
! EC2M
| London
| [[Broadgate]], [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]]
| City of London, [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]]
|-
! EC2N
| London
| Old Broad Street, [[Tower 42]]
| City of London
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|EC2P
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|London
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|''non-geographic''
|-
! EC2R
| London
| [[Bank of England]]
| City of London
|-
! EC2V
| London
| [[Guildhall, London|Guildhall]]
| City of London
|-
! EC2Y
| London
| [[Barbican Estate|Barbican]]
| City of London
|-
! EC3A
| London
| [[St Mary Axe]], [[Aldgate]]
| City of London
|-
! EC3M
| London
| [[Lloyd's of London]], [[Fenchurch Street]]
| City of London
|-
! EC3N
| London
| [[Tower Hill]], [[Tower of London]]
| Tower Hamlets, City of London
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|EC3P
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|London
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|''non-geographic''
|-
! EC3R
| London
| [[Monument to the Great Fire of London|Monument]], [[Billingsgate]]
| City of London
|-
! EC3V
| London
| [[Cornhill, London|Cornhill]], [[Gracechurch Street]], [[Lombard Street, London|Lombard Street]]
| City of London
|-
! EC4A
| London
| [[Fetter Lane]]
| City of London, [[City of Westminster|Westminster]]
|-
! EC4M
| London
| [[St Paul's Cathedral|St Paul's]]
| City of London
|-
! EC4N
| London
| [[Mansion House, London|Mansion House]]
| City of London
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|EC4P
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|London
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|''non-geographic''
|-
! EC4R
| London
| [[Cannon Street station|Cannon Street]]
| City of London
|-
! EC4V
| London
| [[Blackfriars, London|Blackfriars]]
| City of London
|-
! EC4Y
| London
| [[Temple, London|Temple]]
| City of London, Westminster
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|EC50
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|London
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|
| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|''non-geographic''
</onlyinclude> <!-- Bottom of table -->
|}

==Boundaries==
{{div col|small=yes}}

===EC1===
'''The EC1 postcode district''' ({{coord|51.523|-0.092|region:GB_type:city|name=EC1}}) is roughly bounded by City Road to the northeast and east, Moorgate to the east, Chiswell Street and Newgate Street to the south, Rosebery Avenue to the northwest, and Gray's Inn Road to the west, where it borders [[WC postcode area]]. A long thin protrusion to the north east takes in all of Old Street. Taking in the districts of [[Clerkenwell]], [[Finsbury]] and the northwestern corner of the [[City of London]] from [[St Paul's Cathedral]].<ref name="project EC1">{{cite postcode project|EC1|23 March 2010|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926113432/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/EC1.html}}</ref>

===EC2===
The EC2 postcode district ({{coord|51.518|-0.084|region:GB_type:city|name=EC2}}) is roughly bounded by Old Street to the north, Bishopsgate to the east, [[Cheapside]], Poultry and [[Threadneedle Street]] to the south, and Aldersgate to the west. The postcode district includes [[Moorgate]], [[Finsbury Circus]] and [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] and roughly covers the northeastern corner of the City of London from St Paul's Cathedral. To the north there are small sections in the [[London Borough of Islington]] and the [[London Borough of Hackney]]. Numbers 250-288 Bishopsgate (EC2M) fall within the [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]<ref name="project EC2">{{cite postcode project|EC2|23 March 2010|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926113902/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/EC2.html}}</ref>

===EC3===
The EC3 postcode district ({{coord|51.508|-0.076|region:GB_type:city|name=EC3}}) is roughly bounded by [[Minories]] and the [[Tower of London]] to the east, the [[River Thames]] to the south, [[London Bridge]] and Threadneedle Street to the west and Houndsditch to the north. It includes the [[Monument to the Great Fire of London|Monument]], [[Aldgate]], [[Cornhill, London|Cornhill]], [[Fenchurch Street]], [[Gracechurch Street]], [[Leadenhall Street]], [[Lombard Street, London|Lombard Street]], [[Mincing Lane]], [[Pudding Lane]] and [[Tower Hill]] and roughly covers the southeastern corner of the City of London. A small part is in the [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets]], including the Tower of London.<ref name="project EC3">{{cite postcode project|EC3|23 March 2010|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102231728/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/EC3.html}}</ref>

===EC4===
The EC4 postcode district ({{coord|51.511|-0.098|region:GB_type:city|name=EC4}}) is roughly bounded by Cheapside to the north, London Bridge to the east, the River Thames to the south and [[Chancery Lane]] to the west. It roughly covers the southwestern corner of the City of London, including [[Fleet Street]], [[Temple Church|Temple]], [[Blackfriars, London|Blackfriars]], and [[St Paul's Cathedral]]. 6 postcodes in EC4 (2 in EC4A and 4 in EC4Y) fall within St. James's ward in [[City of Westminster|Westminster]].<ref name="project EC4">{{cite postcode project|EC4|23 March 2010|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927015653/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/postcodes/places/EC4.html}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Map==
{{Attached KML|display=inline}}
{{Postcode area imagemap|map=EC postcode area|size=300x300px}}

==See also==
* [[Postcode Address File]]
* [[List of postcode areas in the United Kingdom]]
* [[London postal district]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Postcode areas in the United Kingdom}}
{{London postcode areas}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ec Postcode Area}}
[[Category:Postcode areas covering London]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the City of London]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Hackney]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Islington]]
[[Category:Media and communications in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]