From: Paul Coxwell Subject: Old London Telephone Exchange Names Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 14:00:41 +0100 I received an e-mail recently inquiring about the old exchange names 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] [TELECOM Digest Editor's 7/2005 Note: A recent correction was supplied by Paul, and it appeared in Digest V24 #336 on Saturday, July 23, 2005. His correction appears below: ] Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 16:50:49 +0100 From: Paul Coxwell Subject: Re: Old London Telephone Exchange Names Pat, Re the list of old London exchange names which is archived here: http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/archives/history/dialing-history It's been pointed out to me that the entry for BOWes Park 209 incorrectly shows that this office served the Twickenham area, which is in southwest London. In fact the BOWes Park office served the Wood Green / Bowes Park district of north London. I'm not sure why I didn't spot the mistake, as my own family lived around that part of north London years ago, so Bowes Park was only just up the road. Anyway, perhaps you could make an appropriate amendment in the arhives. - Paul. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 01:53:31 -0600 From: Anthony Bellanga Subject: 3L-4N Cities, Exchange Names, Lettered Dials Reply-To: anthonybellanga@gonetoearth.com To protect myself against spam, PLEASE do NOT show my email address! Paul Coxwell wrote regarding old London UK telephone exchange names: > 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. Prior to the implemntation of STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling in the late 1950s or early 1960s, with "area codes" of the 0XX(X(etc)) format, the UK used '0' as a standalone digit code to reach the Operator, just like in the US and Canada. When STD Codes beginning with '0' came about, the local assistance operator in the UK was changed to '100'. (snip) > [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] In the US, there were only a total of four major cities that ever used 3L-4N. There were none ever in Canada. New York City (changed to 2L-5N circa 1930/31) Philadelphia (changed to 2L-5N circa Summer 1946) Chicago (changed to 2L-5N circa 1948/49) Boston (changed to 2L-5N circa 1949) In the UK, there were six "director" urban areas that used full seven- dial-pull dialling/numbering, all listed as 3-4N, these six having '0N1' format STD codes of the 1960s/70s/80s/early 1990s: 01 London (which split into 071 and 081) 021 Birmingham 031 Edinburgh 041 Glasgow 051 Liverpool 061 Manchester And the only other place in the world I can think of that had 3L exchange names (and a last four digits, for a "7-dial-pull" number, 3L-4N) was Paris (FRANCE). In Paris, the numeral '0' had the letter 'O' (as in the United Kingdom) as well as the letter 'Q'. Since the Operator and other special service codes, back in the old Exchange Name days, were two-digit codes '1X' in France, there was no "conflict" with starting off an Exchange Name with the letter 'O' (or 'Q'), thus the first digit of the office code being '0'. Paris had exchange/office codes/names OPEra (073) and ODEon (033) among others. Other towns in the UK and France had LESS than 7 "digit" (dial-pull) numbering or dialing back then. While I don't think any other parts of the world ever had any 3L-4N numbering (or at least 3-letter Exchange Names), in Denmark (at least in Kobenhaven), the dial had 3-letters for most of the digits on the dial, just like in the US, Canada, UK (at least the "director" areas). and France (at least Paris). The lettering was slightly different than the North American and even UK/France dial: 1 = 'C' (for "Central" ??) 2 = A B D 3 = E F G 4 = H I K 5 = L M N 6 = O P R (individual letters, not an abbreviation for Operator) 7 = S T U 8 = W X Y 9 = AE, (shashed-O) 0 = 'HJAELP' ("help", for Police, Fire, Ambulance, etc) Other parts of the world, at one time or another prior to the 1960s/70s did have "Exchange Name" dialing, and lettered dials, but all I've seen is one-letter-per-digit dial faces, or dialing ONLY the FIRST letter of the Exchange Name. It was only Paris (FRANCE), the six "director" cities in the UK (London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester), and only those four major urban areas in the northeast/midwest US (New York City NY prior to 1930, Philadelphia PA prior to 1946, Chicago IL prior to 1948, Boston MA prior to 1949) that ever had 3L-4N numbering and dialing, as far as I can tell. Kobenhaven (Denmark) did have a three-letter-per- digit dial face, but they had less-than-seven-digit (dial-pulls) local numbers, and possibly exchange names using only the first letter of the name to be dialed. Other parts of the US (and Canada) may have had seven-digit (dial-pull) numbers but they were 2L-5N (and even the four 3L-4N cities changed to 2L-5N at the year indicated), or 2L-4N, 1L-4N, and other less-than-seven-digits (dial-pull) local numbering. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Just like the earlier article this past week, this latest article will be put in the archives. Thanks to Anthony Bellanga for the submission. PAT] ------------------------------