Old London Telephone Exchange Names
Paul Coxwell
in London, and thought a general posting might be of interest.
London used a 3L-4N system, making the selection of suitable names
somewhat harder in later years than in U.S. cities with their 2L-5N
system. The list below represents the exchange names as they stood
immediately prior to the change to all-figure numbering. It is taken
from the GPO booklet "Dialling Instructions and Call Charges, London,
1968."
Notice that at the time of the change many exchanges were assigned a
new prefix, while others retained their existing code, now expressed
as all digits. The list shows the new prefixes resulting from the
change to all-figure numbering. Note that on British dials the letter
"O" was located on the zero, with just "MN" on the digit 6. While
this removed any possible confusion between zero/letter-O, it also
meant that no exchange names starting with O could be employed.
Many names are geographical, taken from a district, road name, or some
well-known building or landmark. The age of exchanges such as NORth
and WEStern can be seen by the fact that they serve what are now
really the northern and western parts of central London rather than
further out.
I've added my own notes in square brackets where the exchange name is
not obvious from the listed area served and where I'm aware of the
source. There are no doubt many other names which would be meaningful
to local residents of the area in question.
My family lived in north London, and were thus surrounded by such
exchanges as ENField, KEAts, PALmers Green, FOX Lane, and EDMonton.
Many Londoners would also be aware of the locations of many of the
exchanges serving the central business districts of the city,
e.g. MAYfair, REGent, and GERard, but not so much with those in other
far-away suburbs.
The most famous London telephone number of 3L-4N days was surely
WHItehall 1212, the number for Scotland Yard, Police Headquarters.
In addition to the exchange prefixes, there were also 3-digit service
codes assigned for various uses. For example, TIM was used to connect
to the speaking clock, and the reason why some older Londoners might
still refer to "Calling Tim" to check the time.
----------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON DIRECTOR EXCHANGE NAMES
Old Name New Area served
--- ---- --- -----------
222 ABBey 222 Westminster [Westminster Abbey]
220 ACOrn 992 Acton [Acorn Gardens]
233 ADDiscombe 654 Addiscombe & South Norwood
238 ADVance 980 Bow & Mile End [*1]
252 ALBert Dock 476 Plaistow & Canning Town [Dock in the East End]
257 ALPerton 998 Perivale, Alperton & North Ealing
262 AMBassador 262 Paddington [Foreign embassies in area]
264 AMHerst 985 Hackney [Amherst Road]
272 ARChway 272 Holloway [District/Bridge]
276 ARNold 904 North Wembley
285 ATLas 568 Isleworth
283 AVEnue 283 City of London [Throgmorton Avenue]
225 * BALham 672 Tooting [district]
227 BARnet 449 Barnet
228 BATtersea 228 Battersea
229 BAYswater 229 Bayswater
232 * BECkenham 650 Beckenham
235 * BELgravia 235 Belgravia
237 BERmondsey 237 Bermondsey
239 BEXleyheath 303 Bexleyheath
247 BIShopsgate 247 City of London [name of street]
258 BLUebell 656 Addiscombe & South Norwood
209 BOWes Park 888 Twickenham
274 BRIxton 274 Brixton
278 BRUnswick 278 Kings Cross
282 BUCkhurst 504 Woodford & Buckhurst Hill
287 BUShey Heath 950 Bushey Heath
297 BYRon 422 South Harrow [*2]
299 BYWood 668 Purley & Kenley [woodland in area]
226 CANonbury 226 Highbury [district]
236 * CENtral 236 City of London
242 CHAncery 242 Holborn [Chancery Lane]
243 CHErrywood 540 Merton & South Wimbledon
244 CHIswick 994 Chiswick
248 * CITy 248 City of London
253 CLErkenwell 253 Clerkenwell
254 CLIssold 254 Dalston [Clissold Park]
250 CLOcktower 552 East Ham
205 * COLindale 205 Colindale
206 CONcord 864 South Harrow
200 COOmbe End 949 New Malden
207 COPpermill 520 Walthamstow [Coppermill Lane]
208 COVent Garden 240 Covent Garden
273 CREscent 550 Barkingside & Redbridge
270 CROydon 688 Croydon
279 CRYstal Palace 659 Sydenham & Penge [famous landmark]
286 CUNningham 286 Maida Vale
326 DANson Park 304 Bexleyheath [Danson Park]
337 DERwent 337 Worcester Park
342 DICkens 359 Highbury [*2]
345 DILigence 903 Wembley
305 DOLlis Hill 450 Cricklewood & Dollis Hill
306 DOMinion 592 Dagenham
373 DREadnought 373 Earls Court [*3]
378 DRUMmond 908 North Wembley
379 DRYden 204 Kingsbury
385 DUKe 385 Fulham [*4]
386 DUNcan 690 Catford
325 EALing 567 Ealing
327 EASt 987 Poplar [area to east of central London]
334 * EDGware 952 Edgware
336 * EDMonton 807 Edmonton
354 ELGar 965 Harlesden
356 ELMbridge 399 Surbiton [Elmbridge Avenue]
357 ELStree 953 Elstree
358 ELTham 850 Eltham
362 EMBerbrook 398 Thames Ditton
367 EMPress 603 West Kensington
363 ENField 363 Enfield
368 ENTerprise 368 Southgate
387 EUSton 387 Euston
393 EWEll 393 Ewell
324 * FAIrlands 644 Sutton & Cheam
335 * FELtham 890 Feltham & East Bedfont
343 FIEld End 868 Pinner & Eastcote
346 FINchley 346 Finchley
348 FITzroy 348 Hornsey & Highgate [Fitzroy Park]
352 FLAxman 352 Chelsea
353 * FLEet Street 353 Fleet Street
350 FLOral 878 Mortlake
300 FOOts Cray 300 Sidcup [district]
307 FORest Hill 699 Forest Hill
308 FOUntain 677 Streatham
309 FOX Lane 882 Palmers Green [Fox Lane]
372 FRAnklin 669 Wallington & Carshalton
373 FREmantle 373 Earls Court [*3]
370 FRObisher 370 Earls Court
385 FULham 385 Fulham [*4]
425 GALleon 330 Worcester Park
430 GEOrgian 579 Ealing
437 GERard 437 Soho [Gerard Street]
442 GIBbon 789 Putney
447 GIPsy Hill 670 Gipsy Hill & West Norwood
452 GLAdstone 452 Cricklewood & Dollis Hill
400 GOOdmayes 599 Seven Kings & Goodmayes
472 GRAngewood 472 East Ham
473 GREenwich 858 Greenwich
474 GRImsdyke 954 Stanmore
470 GROsvenor 499 Mayfair, Grosvenor Square
485 GULliver 485 Kentish Town
423 HADley Green 440 Barnet [district]
424 HAInault 500 Hainault
426 HAMpstead 435 Hampstead
427 HARrow 427 Harrow
428 HATch End 428 Hatch End
429 * HAYes 573 Hayes (Middlesex) & Cranford
432 HEAdquarters 432 City of London, [GPO Headquarters, *5]
436 HENdon 202 Hendon
444 HIGhgate Wood 444 Muswell Hill [district]
445 HILlside 445 North Finchley
448 * HITher Green 698 Catford & Bellingham [district]
404 HOGarth 749 Shepherds Bush
405 HOLborn 405 Holborn
407 HOP 407 Southwark [area with several hop merchants]
408 HOUnslow 570 Hounslow & Heston
409 HOWard 804 Ponders End
483 HUDson 572 Hounslow & Heston
486 HUNter 486 St. Marylebone
487 HURstway 462 Hayes, Kent [several streets with Hurst name]
493 HYDe Park 493 Mayfair, Hyde Park
453 ILFord 478 Ilford
467 IMPerial 467 Chislehurst & Bickley
475 ISLeworth 560 Isleworth & Brentford
482 IVAnhoe 505 Woodford & Buckhurst Hill
489 IVYdale 394 Ewell
586 JUNiper 586 St. Johns Wood
532 KEAts 366 Enfield [*2]
535 KELvin 673 Balham
536 KENsington 589 South Kensington
545 KILburn 328 Kilburn & Maida Vale
546 KINgston 546 Kingston
547 * KIPling 857 Mottingham & Grove Park [*2]
564 KNIghtsbridge 584 South Kensington [district]
522 * LABurnum 360 Winchmore Hill [Laburnum Grove]
523 LADbroke 969 Kensal Green [Ladbroke Grove]
525 LAKeside 947 Wimbledon [lake in Wimbledon Park]
526 LANgham 580 Bloomsbury [Langham Place]
527 LARkswood 527 Highams Park [district]
528 LATimer 802 Stamford Hill [Latimer Road]
533 LEE Green 852 Lewisham
539 * LEYtonstone 539 Leytonstone
542 LIBerty 542 Merton & South Wimbledon
548 * LIVingstone 653 Norwood [Livingstone Road]
506 LONdon Wall 588 City of London (Moorgate) [*6]
507 LORds 289 Lords & Maida Vale [Lords Cricket Ground]
508 LOUghton 508 Loughton
509 LOWer Hook 397 Chessington [district]
577 LPR 432 City of London [London Postal Region, *5]
587 LTR (RHQ) 587 Vauxhall [London Telephones Region, *5]
583 * LUDgate Circus 583 Fleet Street [road junction]
622 MACaulay 622 Nine Elms
624 MAIda Vale 624 Kilburn, Maida Vale & South Hampstead
625 MALden 942 New Malden
626 MANsion House 626 City of London (Monument) [famous building]
627 MARyland 534 Stratford & Forest Gate
629 MAYfair 629 Mayfair
632 MEAdway 458 Golders Green [name of road]
635 MELville 643 Sutton & Belmont
638 * METropolitan 638 City of London (Monument)
645 MILl Hill 959 Mill Hill
646 MINcing Lane 623 City of London (Monument) [name of street]
648 MITcham 648 Mitcham & Morden
605 MOLesey East 979 Molesey & Hampton
606 MONarch 606 City of London
600 * MOOrgate 600 City of London, Moorgate
608 MOUntview 340 Hornsey & Highgate
685 MULberry 889 Wood Green
686 MUNicipal 686 Croydon
687 MUSeum 636 Bloomsbury [area of British Museum]
628 NATional 628 City of London (Moorgate)
639 * NEW Cross 639 Peckham & New Cross
602 NOBle 602 West Kensington
607 NORth 607 Barnsbury [northern part of central London]
683 NUFfield 848 Hayes & Cranford
723 PADdington 723 Paddington
725 PALmers Green 886 Palmers Green
727 PARk 727 Bayswater & Notting Hill [Hyde Park]
732 PECkham Rye 732 Peckham & New Cross
737 PERivale 997 Perivale, Alperton & North Ealing
746 PINner 866 Pinner & Eastcote
758 PLUmstead 855 Woolwich & Plumstead
705 * POLlards 764 Norbury Pollards Hill
707 * POPesgrove 892 Twickenham
774 PRImrose 722 St. Johns Wood [Primrose Hill]
770 PROspect 876 Mortlake
788 PUTney 788 Putney
724 RAGlan 556 Leytonstone
728 RAVensbourne 460 Bromley [name of river]
733 REDpost 733 Brixton
734 REGent 734 Soho [Regent Street]
735 RELiance 735 Kennington & Walworth (Vauxhall)
736 RENown 736 Fulham
742 RIChmond 940 Richmond (Surrey)
747 RIPpleway 594 Barking
748 RIVerside 748 Hammersmith [area by River Thames]
703 RODney 703 Camberwell & Walworth [Rodney Road]
709 * ROYal 709 City of London & Wapping [Royal Mint]
726 SANderstead 657 Sanderstead & Selsdon
720 SCOtt 720 Nine Elms
738 SEVen Kings 590 Seven Kings & Goodmayes
743 SHEpherds Bush 743 Shepherds Bush
740 SHOreditch 739 Shoreditch
745 SILverthorn 529 Chingford
759 SKYport 759 London Airport Heathrow & Harlington [airport]
750 SLOane 730 Sloane Square
762 SNAresbrook 530 Wanstead [district]
708 SOUthall 574 Southall
772 SPArtan 249 Dalston
773 SPEedwell 455 Golders Green
777 SPRingpark 777 West Wickham [Spring Park]
782 STAmford Hill 800 Stamford Hill
783 STEpney Green 790 Stepney Green
780 STOnegrove 958 Edgware
787 STReatham 769 Streatham
785 SULlivan 799 Westminster
786 SUNnyhill 203 Hendon
794 SWIss Cottage 794 Hampstead [district]
793 SYDenham 778 Sydenham & Penge
822 TABard 822 Fleet Street [Tabard Inn]
828 TATe Gallery 828 Victoria [name of art gallery]
829 TCY 829 Waterloo [Telephones CitY, *5]
833 TEDdington Lock 977 Teddington
836 TEMple Bar 836 Covent Garden, Temple Bar
837 TERminus 837 Kings Cross [railway station, end of line]
840 * THOrnton Heath 684 Thornton Heath
843 TIDeway 692 Deptford [Thames Tideway]
808 TOTtenham 808 Tottenham
809 TOWnley 693 Dulwich & Camberwell [Townley Road]
872 TRAfalgar 839 Whitehall [Trafalgar Square]
873 * TREvelyan 553 Ilford
870 TROjan 870 Wandsworth
879 TSW 879 Wimbledon [Telephones South West, *5]
883 TUDor 883 Muswell Hill
885 * TULse Hill 674 Tulse Hill & Brixton Hill
887 TURnham Green 995 Chiswick [district]
894 TWIckenham Green 894 Twickenham
863 UNDerhill 863 Harrow [located below Harrow-on-the-Hill]
875 UPLands 660 Purley & Kenley [area of higher ground]
877 UPPer Clapton 806 Clapton
825 VALentine 554 Ilford
826 VANdyke 874 Wandsworth
842 VICtoria 834 Victoria
844 VIGilant 642 Sutton & Belmont
845 VIKing 845 Northolt & Yeading
847 VIRginia 349 Finchley
925 WALlington 647 Wallington & Carshalton
926 WANstead 989 Wanstead
927 WARing Park 302 Sidcup [Waring Park]
928 WATerloo 928 Waterloo
929 WAXlow 578 Greenford [Waxlow Crescent]
935 WELbeck 935 St. Marylebone [Welbeck Street]
936 WEMbley 902 Wembley
937 WEStern 937 Kensington [western part of central London]
944 WHItehall 930 Westminster [name of street/district]
943 WIDmore 464 Bromley [Widmore Road]
945 WILlesden 459 Willesden
946 WIMbledon 946 Wimbledon
900 WOOlwich 854 Woolwich & Plumstead
907 * WORdsworth 907 Kenton [*2]
* "Some subscribers on these exchanges were given a new telephone
number or had their exchange name replaced by figures other than
those shown above when they were given their all-figure number."
LDCB68
My added notes:
*1. The original name chosen was BEThnal Green, a district in the east
end of London. Objections to the downmarket name resulted in the
alternate name ADVance.
*2. Toward the end of named exchanges when it was becoming harder to
come up with suitable names for vacant prefixes, the poetical/literary
series of names were used: BYRon, KEAts, WORdsworth, etc.
*3. The 373 exchange served an area which includes Olympia, the site
used for regular exhibitions. FREmantle was the normal exchange,
while the alternate name DREadnought was used for temporary lines
during exhibitions.
*4. Another prefix with an alternate name DUKe as a substitute for the
more downmarket FULham.
*5. The GPO used several prefixes for their own telephone systems.
HEAdquarters speaks for itself, while other prefixes were LPR (London
Postal Region), LTR (London Telephones Region), TCY (Telephone CitY),
and TSW (Telephones SouthWest). Some prefixes were used for direct
dialing in to GPO PABX systems, and mapped to other prefixes.
*6. Named for the old London Wall, the boundary of London in historic
times.
The name Moorgate comes from one of the former entrances to the city.
Paul Coxwell
Norfolk, England.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My thanks to Paul for this special
report which will be specifically filed in the Archives history area.
I should point out that Chicago, Illinois also used the 3L-4D method
of numbering until about 1950 when it changed to 2L-5D for about ten
years before going entirely 7-D. Thanks again, Paul. PAT]
diana...@gmail.com
I got interested in this when I spotted an old advertisement painted
on the side of a building quoting a Macaulay phone number. Macaulay
was the Clapham exchange - the Macaulay family were connected to
Clapham (Zachary was a prominent member of the Clapham Sect who
campaigned for Abolition of the Slave Trade). My telephone number is
0207 -622 nnnn, that is Macaulay. Good to know!
On Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:00:41 UTC+1, Paul Coxwell wrote:
(Long quoted article removed - it's available at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.dcom.telecom/wAnVke6Roq0 - Mod)
***** Moderator's Note *****
I used to wonder why so many phone numbers start with "0" in Great
Britain, until someone told me that the zero is in the first position
on a dial phone there. That means that both U.S. and British number
start with a single dial pulse when using a dial telephone instrument,
but each country associated different numbers with it.
Bill Horne
Moderator
John Levine
>Britain, until someone told me that the zero is in the first position
The only country where zero is one pulse is Sweden. New Zealand had
the digits in the reverse order, but zero was ten clicks.
The reason that UK numbers generally start with 0 is the same reason
that our numbers start with 1 -- it's the escape indicator that means
it's not a local number and an area code (known in the UK as STD code)
follows. They use codes starting with 1 for special services such as
112 which is similar to the North American 911.
R's,
John
HAncock4
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My thanks to Paul for this special
> report which will be specifically filed in the Archives history area.
> I should point out that Chicago, Illinois also used the 3L-4D method
> of numbering until about 1950 when it changed to 2L-5D for about ten
> years before going entirely 7-D. Thanks again, Paul. PAT]
on (around 1930) because growth was so rapid.
Philadelphia had 3L-4D but had to switch to 2L-5D right after WW II.
In the 1950s, many small towns could have any number of digits. With
the coming of Direct Distance Dialing, every local phone number had to
get expanded to seven unique digits, with a unique exchange code within
the area code. Sometimes it just meant padding a two or three digit
number with zeros, but other times it meant new numbers. Since
all dial exchanges back then was electro-mechanical, it meant a great
deal of new equipment and re-wiring. All of this was just to handle
_incoming_ toll calls. Additional equipment was required to handle
outgoing toll calls.
Neal McLain
> I received an e-mail recently inquiring about the old
> exchange names in London, and thought a general posting
> might be of interest.
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My thanks to Paul for this
> special report which will be specifically filed in the
> Archives history area. I should point out that Chicago,
> Illinois also used the 3L-4D method of numbering until
> about 1950 when it changed to 2L-5D for about ten years
> before going entirely 7-D. Thanks again, Paul. PAT]
I occasionally noticed 3L+4D numbers on old signs or in publications.
- UNIversity, in Evanston, for Northwestern University.
- GREenleaf, in Evanston, for Greenleaf Street.
- BEVerly, in Chicago, for the local neighborhood.
- MIDway, in Chicago, for Midway Plaisance, a block-wide parkway running between
Washington Park and Jackson Park. During the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893
it had been "the Midway". It splits the University of Chicago campus in half. The
University's main number would have been MIDway 0800.
In most cases the 3L code matched the new 2L+1N code, but there were a few
exceptions. In Evanston, what had been GREenleaf became GRreenleaf 5.
Neal McLain
Neal McLain
[snip]
> In the 1950s, many small towns could have any number of
> digits. With the coming of Direct Distance Dialing, every
> local phone number had to get expanded to seven unique digits,
> with a unique exchange code within the area code. Sometimes
> it just meant padding a two or three digit number with zeros,
> but other times it meant new numbers.
unincorporated community in Clark County south of Las Vegas. Google
calls it "Nelson Ghost Town". According to Wikipedia the population
is 37. The Census Bureau recognizes it as a "census-designated place"
(presumably so they can count those 37 residents).
But Nelson has its own NPA-NXX thousand-number block: 702-291-0xxx.
When I visited there back in the 90s, all Nelson phone numbers were in
the range 702-291-00xx. A grand total of 100 possible numbers!
> Since all dial exchanges back then was electro-mechanical, it meant
> a great deal of new equipment and re-wiring. All of this was just
> to handle _incoming_ toll calls.
Brown Strowger's "up-and-around" switch, extensively utilized by
GenTel and the Bell System during the 50s and 60s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strowger_switch
With the introduction of nationwide toll dialing it was necessary for
each exchange to utilize 7-digit directory numbers. An older
3-, 4-, 5-, or 6-digit Strowger exchange would be modified to accept
inbound 7-digit numbers by adding "dummy" leading digits. For local
calls the dummy digits were ignored ("absorbed") at the first selector
by digit absorbers.
I have written about absorbers in previous T-D posts:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.dcom.telecom/hUBAP8WzrNc/QYbcLVxHavMJ
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.dcom.telecom/eRvBdpAU62w/oNhgyqO1EXEJ
Neal McLain
Poissons 1957
I do thank you for that useful post.
I added a link in the French Wiki devoted to the Parisian old exchanges :
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anciens_indicatifs_t%C3%A9l%C3%A9phoniques_%C3%A0_Paris
- see =C2=A7 6.2 and 11.3.
Kind regards.
Thierry COUTURE