to think these people are ghastly snobs

[AgaPanthers]

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/postcode-war-as-hounslow-residents-fight-for-richmond-address-9095158.html

"Kim Tasso, 53, said: “My daughter goes to a Richmond school, we pay council tax to Richmond council, the police consider us a Richmond address, yet when I put ‘Whitton’ as my address my post arrives two days late, with ‘Whitton’ crossed out by the Post Office and ‘Hounslow’ written in its place."

So why the fuck doesn't she put the correct address on already, so that her post arrives on time.

This is a house for sale on the road in question:

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/31811240?search_identifier=4cfddd5a1feca73f2fd54ee1a16fb8bf

It certainly LOOKS like Hounslow, and apparently the nearest station is Hounslow, so it should be Hounslow.

So why do these ridiculous people think they live in Richmond? They chose to buy a house in Hounslow, and now they want to redefine it as Richmond?

Anyway, if you are looking for relatively affordable housing around that area, then I suggest you follow in these people's footsteps, and buy in TW3, because you will save a fortune. Just don't go trying to pull the drawbridge up after you've moved in, by redefining it as Richmond.

I used to live in Burn-Arge
Now I live in south Trafford, but when my DM visits she insists on phoning all her friends, putting on a weirdly posh voice as she "casually" mentions that she's "visiting my daughter and the grandkids in Cheshiiiire"

I'm similar to you Lady

Council Tax is Hampshire
Post Code is wiltshire
Drs is in Dorset

Dh is laughing at this thread.

He works for hounslow council. He says most people who he deals with won't admit they live in Hounslow, it's always Whitton or Twickwnham. His job deals with money depended t on how far thier children live from school and these disputes make everything drag out for months as they go mental if you say they live in Hounslow.

Fwiw, I was born in Hounslow, it's not the nicest place in the world, so I can see why people do it. I now live in Chiswick, and the amount of people who say they also live in Chiswick but actually live in acton or Shepards bush is astounding

I have lived such a sheltered existence, never knew this went on! Sounds exhausting.

There was a woman on Location location location once who was obsessed with the postcode she wanted to have. I have a vague memory of her looking out the window of this GORGEOUS and huge house and commenting to her husband 'But it is not the right postcode'. I think the right postcode was the next street or something. I found it a bit baffling. (But then again, I live in a lovely place that I am proud of, so maybe I would feel differently somewhere else).

I remember the kerfuffle over the 0171 and 0181 number areas.

my mother used to pretend we lived in werneth, not coppice.
Then when we moved into werneth proper, she would pretend it was chadderton

(Bit like arguing over hulme and moss side, chelmesley wood and castle bromwich)
I know lots of people 'living' in Moseley with B12 postcodes.

I live in the Richmond boarders.

Some people like to call it Dorset?

lady we are the same.

2miles down the road is Wiltshire.

We live in Dorset.

Sometimes we shop ( 3 miles away) in Somerset!

They have a point, but mentioning houseprices are not helping them.

I effectively live in one place but I always say I live in the other as that is what is on my postal address and my phone n.o. is for that area too. it is a slightly posher area and that was where it was described as being by the estate agent when we bought the house.

I do understand about Hounslow as it isn't fantastic. I used to shop there 20 years' ago and it was ok then. Richmond does sound so much nicer or Twickenham.

There are so many areas like that where I live.

Hayes is another one I should think.

But where she lives is where she lives, it will be no more or less fantastic whether she calls it Whitton or Hounslow. Surely one street of inter-war semis is pretty much like any other. While Richmond is much nicer than Hounslow, only one small part of Richmond borough is actually Richmond - and Argyle Avenue aint it.

If the Post Office asks you to address your post in a certain way, that is what you do or you take the consequence of having your mail arrive late. I doubt if Richmond Council has any problem knowing which roads, or parts of roads, are within their boundary as they have to collect the Council Tax and maintain the electoral roll.

I remember the kerfuffle over the 0171 and 0181 number areas.

I think that was slightly diffferent. I know my friend in Clapham was slightly miffed that she had to dial 0181 to ring her daughter in the top floor flat of the same house!

I say I live in Richmond quite often (I don't, really) but only because if I tell people I live in North Sheen they have literally no idea where I mean unless they're local.

Why not just say 'near Richmond' then?

Because then you have a stupid conversation that goes 'oh, where?' and you say 'North Sheen' and they say 'never heard of it' and then refer to the place where you live as Richmond anyway.

Point taken :)

I knew about North Sheen, and I live Oop North!
In fairness, I've only heard of it because my grandad lived there, and now my sister does. We used to play on Barnes Common when we were young.

I live on the Edinburgh city centre /Leith hinterland and I am genuinely unsure which area it falls in.

I really couldn't give a fuck what it is described as, it doesn't physically transfrom the environment I live in. By describing it as Edinburgh doesn't magically turn it into a New Town Des Res nor does describing it as Leith turn it into a shooting gallery with junkies lying on piss stained mattresses at the bottom of our stair.

It is a small flat in a scruffy inner city suburb whatever you call it.

A post code is not an indication of what county/council a house is in. It is a device for sorting & delivering mail.

I think this is why I love being English, house prices dictated by a code to help deliver the mail.

It's the same as these houses described as being on x/y border. If x is a more expensive area than y then obviously the house is in y. People live where they live. If they want to kid themselves they don't let them get on with it.

When DH and I bought our first house it was right on the border between Chislehurst and Mottingham. But it was most definitely in Chislehurst. By literally about 4 houses. We were so proud.

AngelaDavies - Chiswick is a nightmare for this. I have friends who live on Emlyn Road, they told me when they first moved in and post would come to shepherds bush, they would cross it out and re-post it marked chiswick

Or the hilarious new term 'Chiswick borders'. Which is a fancy way of saying Acton