London W (GB)

LONDON Western Office 1887 on 10 Shilling

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"350px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":11,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWstern District Office\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Wstern District Office\n","link":"","lat":51.515243,"lon":-0.145912,"icon":""},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESouthall\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Southall\n","link":"","lat":51.5121,"lon":-0.3779,"icon":"/w/images/c/ce/Green_marker.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMount Street\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Mount Street\n","link":"","lat":51.509752,"lon":-0.150645,"icon":"/w/images/a/af/Red_marker.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotting Hill\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Notting Hill\n","link":"","lat":51.511615,"lon":-0.204016,"icon":"/w/images/8/88/Red_Yellow_marker.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaida Vale (Hill)\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Maida Vale (Hill)\n","link":"","lat":51.527617,"lon":-0.190532,"icon":"/w/images/1/16/Purple_marker.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWest Ealing\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"West Ealing\n","link":"","lat":51.515599,"lon":-0.3216197,"icon":"/w/images/1/1e/Olive_marker.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKensington, Young Street\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Kensington, Young Street\n","link":"","lat":51.501544,"lon":-0.189848,"icon":"/w/images/1/16/Purple_marker.png"}],"imageoverlays":null}

London's Western District Office was first opened at 19 Old Cavendish St. From the office's opening to 1890 numbers 1 to 82 were used.

It was responsible for feeding letters into and out of London on the West bound rides. Mail for central london was sent to the EC office.

It was also responsible for the postal deliveries in Chelsea, Kensington, Fulham, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Acton, Ealing and Richmond area's.

At the start of the 1900's Paddington West District office became its own District Office of just Paddington. Please see London Paddington District Office.

London W cancels

London (W) Office at Old Cavendish Street, Soho

Registered Paddington W & Bishop's Rd Paddington W cancels

For full details of this cover click here

LONDON Western Office 1887 on 10 Shilling

W47 cancel

LONDON 4 Great Portland Street. Parcel Cancel

LONDON W 38 1954

LONDON W 89 1957

LONDON W 11? cancel on cover to Cape Town showing damage at left

LONDON W 20 used to cancel a late usage (after 1865) of 1d Black Plate 2 BD

Special Cancels

International Exhibition of 1862

The International of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses museums including the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum (London).

1862 International Exhibition cancel

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Lines

Certain cancels were used for uncertain or rarer occasions like Inspector marks or re-direction etc.

Cancel known to have ben used in 1869-70 for (a) the over-cancellation of faint postal cancels and (b)the inspector cancelling of marks like PD (Paid to Destination)etc to annul the instruction, for instance if the inspector thought that not enough fee had been paid, to carry the letter to its final address. Also known used in the EC office. Plate 135 over-cancelled to obliterate the faind CDS below.

Branch Offices

Notting Hill

Notting Hill had a number of sub-offices itself, whilst its main office came under the London W District office.

See Notting Hill W (GB) for its own page.

Named Sub Office cancels

Sloane Street South Office

Sloane Street South Office ....

1797 - Post Office opened, 1858 became a Money Order Office and by 1870 it was handling Telegraphs as a Telegraph Office. Code used = SKT.

1 Feb 1865 it was renamed as Sloane Square and became a Savings Bank on 1st July 1865.

10 May 1869 it was renamed to Sloane Street 161 and finally closed in 1946.

Plate 1b DD - 1d Black cover posted at Sloane Street, South Office, straight line cancel

Southall

Pre-stamp to 1899	1900-1999	2000-Present
Post Town by 1749 Money Order Office 1 October 1792 Still known to be a Post Town 1827 Under Hounslow by 1844 Numeral 395 issued 1844 Under London 1 October 1852 Savings Bank 30 December 1861 HO and Post Town 1 May 1866 Telegraph Office 1870. Code SLW

1905 Southall to Oxford

Southall

Kensington, Young Street

Pre-stamp to 1899	1900-1999	2000-Present
1794 - Kensington, High St. 14 Feb 1840 - Money Order Office 10 March 1862 Savings Bank 2 June 1873 - Replaced by Kensington, Young St 2 June 1873 - Young Street BO Money Order Office and Savings Bank At this date also a Telegraph Office. Code used = KAR	2 June 1873 - 15 June 1985 - Closed

Kensington Young Street Telegraph code KAR used on postal cover with Krag continuous cancel

Kensington W. 1 Posted during the 50th Anniversary of Postage stamps at the Kensington West Office.

Kensington W. 1 detail

Kensington W. 1 detail

Mount Street

Pre-stamp to 1899	1900-1999	2000-Present
Mount St (Grosvenor Sq) Money Order Office 1 August 1856 Savings Bank 18 November 1861 Telegraph Office 1870. Code used - MMO	Changed from a TSO to a BO 17 February 1952 Closed 23 February 1996	Closed

1950 International Reply Coupon issued at the Mount Street office W1

Regent's Street Fouberts Place W

Designated W.22 for the West London Office. It was situated at #4 Fouberts Place. Telegraph Office code RCP

REGENT'S STREET MOO FOUBERTS PLACE W sub office cancel on 1/- Green Plate 6 CL 1872 usage.

REGENT'S STREET FOUBERTS PLACE W sub office cancel Parcel Post labels of 1899 & 1901

Maida Vale (- Hill)

1887 MAIDA HILL MH 1 duplex cancel on 1d Pink Postal Card. It is not understood why Maida Hill was allocated the duplex in 1868 as it had already been allocated the 31B suburban series cancel.'

Square Circle cancel of Maida Hill 1895 coded D1XP (4:05 PM posting time.)

Maida Vale (Hist - Hill) is an affluent residential district comprising the northern part of Paddington in west London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster.

The name is derived from the pub called The Maida (the hanging board of which used to show a likeness of Sir John Stuart, under which was the legend Sir John Stuart, the hero of Maida). The pub used to be on Edgware Road (the A5, originally the old Roman road later called Watling Street) where Edgware Road becomes Maida Vale (which is simply its continuation until it again changes name and becomes Kilburn High Road), and near the Regent's Canal. The pub was there until about 2000.

The area to the south-west of Maida Vale, at the western end of Elgin Avenue, was historically known as "Maida Hill", and was a recognised postal district bounded by the Avenues on the west, the Regent's Canal to the south, Maida Vale to the east and Kilburn Lane to the north. Parts of Maida Vale were also included within this. The name of "Maida Hill" had since fallen out of use, although it has been resurrected since the mid-2000s, through the 414 bus route (which terminates on Shirland Road and gives its destination as Maida Hill) and a new street market on the Piazza at the junction of Elgin Avenue and Harrow Road.

Langham Hotel

The Langham, London is one of the largest and best known traditional style grand hotels in London. It is in the district of Marylebone on Langham Place.

The Langham was designed by John Giles and built between 1863 and 1865 at a cost of £300,000. The Langham was hard hit by the Great Depression and the owners attempted to sell the site to the BBC, but Broadcasting House was built across Portland Place instead. During World War II, the hotel was used in part by the Army until it was damaged by bombs and forced to close. After the war, it was occupied by the BBC as ancillary accommodation to Broadcasting House, and the corporation purchased it outright in 1965.

The hotel featured in the James Bond film GoldenEye. The hotel has a five star classification and is now the flagship of Hong Kong-based Langham Hotels International.

Langham Place Hotel B O P P W 1889

Langham Hotel W 2 1905

Langham Hotel W 2 1913

West Ealing Branch Office Page

WEST EALING

WEST EALING

Chiswick (GB) Sub-Office Page

Click link for more details and cancels of the Chiswick Offices

No. 10 Oxford Street (GB)

NO 10 Oxford Street W 1905 * coded cancel

North Kensington West

Square cicle of North Kensington W 1905

West Kensington West

1900 Square circle of West Kensington W 1.

West Kensington W 1904

Receiving Houses in the London West district

See also London Receiving Houses

Coventry Street Receiving house

Coventry Street, Haymarket W1 London West. The office was short lived having opened on 13 Sep 1847 as a Money Order Office named 'Coventry Street, Soho', it later closed on 1 Oct1860.

1857 4d rated letter with 4d registration (Pre-GPU). posted at Coventry Street (see reverse) and sent to the Inland office for cancellation and registration (Red REGISTERED GPO oval) before being sent to Saint-Péray France Via Calais.

Reverse showing the Coventry Street receiver straightline despatch mark. Calais to Paris train cancel, Paris to Lyon tain cancel and then Paris to Marseille train cancel where it was dropped en route at Valence for delivery.