How to find on a map, the approximate location of
a house,
or the exact location of a street or place in the U.K.
(using the Post Code).
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This page explains how to locate a post-code for a house,
street or place on a map using the Royal Mail web site and the
Multimap or Streetmap site.
In order to locate a building or street on the maps on the
Multimap or Streetmap site, you need to be able to obtain the
postcode for the appropriate building/street/place from
the Royal Mail site, make a note of it, and then go to the map
site and use the postcode to obtain a map.
Proceed as follows:
- Go to the Royal
Mail site and in the area marked "Postcode/Address finder"
you will need to enter:
- The building number or name (if left blank, you will get
a list of postcodes for the street)
- The Street name (could be left empty if you gave the building
name)
- The place name.
- Press the "Search" button. You will receive back
either a post code, list of postcodes (or a message saying that
the place doesn't exist).
- Copy the post code to the clipboard (Ctrl C in Windows)
or write it down.
If this fails (usually due to insufficient information), then
go to the Streetmap site. This site allows you to put in a place
name, obtain an OS grid reference and then convert that to a post
code:
- Go to the Streetmap
site, select the "UK place" radio button, enter the
place name and then press the search button.
- The page returned will contain a 3 by 3 kilometre square
with the requested place in the centre square. Beneath this map
is a couple of lines which (among other things) contains "The
location is at 403787m 499175m" (for instance). Highlight
the 2 sets of numbers (the OS Grid Reference) and copy them into
your clip board (Ctrl C). Ignore the partial post code.
- Press the browser "Back" arrow to return to the
Streetmap front page.
- Underneath the "Search" button is a link which
says "We also now have a coordinate converter !". Follow
this link.
- Click on the entry window, and paste the clipboard data in
the window (Ctrl V), then remove the two "m"s so that
you have two sets of six numbers with a space in between them.
- Select the "OS grid" radio button and then press
the "Convert" button. A page will be returned to you
containing all the coversions.
- Copy the post code to the clipboard (Ctrl C in Windows)
or write it down.
Now you have the post code:
You have a choice, you can either go to the Streetmap site
or the Multimap site:
- The Street
map site:
- Select the "Post Code" Radio button.
- Paste (Ctrl V in Windows) or type the post code in
the text bar
- Press the "Search" button.
This will normally bring you back a map with a scale of 500m
per square. If you need to zoom out to locate exactly where you
are, there is a "Zoom out" ("-") icon next
to the scale indicator just below the map.
Or
- Or the Multimap
site
- Select the GB Post Codes from the "Among" list
- Paste (Ctrl V in Windows) or type the post code in
the "Search for" bar
- Press the "Search" button.
In theory, you should receive back a map at a scale of 1:10,000
of the place you want. Street names should be marked, but not
house numbers and building names. You can change the scale of
the map using the "Map Scale" tool below the map.
If I've written confusing instructions, please drop me a line
via my email
page.
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[Last updated at 21.44 on Tuesday, 06 October 2009, by Colin Hinson ©2008]