London director system exchange names

London Director Exchange Names

In exchange name order

A list of all the codes in use in the London (England) Director system circa 1966.

Relist in dial-numeric order
Dialling code booklet 1964 | Dialling code booklet 1968 | Phone pages index

	Old		Numerical equivalent of the first three letters of the exchange name
New			Digits which replaced the letter codes

			Director exchanges : count = 278

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

222	222		ABBey	Westminster	Westminster Abbey
992	220		ACOrn	Acton	Acorn Gardens
654	233		ADDiscombe	Addiscombe and South Norwood
980	238		ADVance	Bow and Mile End
476	252		ALBert Dock	Plaistow and Canning Town	Albert Dock
998	257		ALPerton	Perivale, Alperton and North Ealing
262	262		AMBassador	Paddington	some embassies
985	264		AMHerst	Hackney	Amhurst Road
	267	h	ANSon
	268	h	ANVil
679	277	l	APPlewood
272	272		ARChway	Holloway	road viaduct
904	276		ARNold	North Wembley
568	285		ATLas	Isleworth
283	283		AVEnue	City of London (Monument)	Throgmorton Avenue

672	225		BALham	Tooting	area served
449	227		BARnet	Barnet
228	228		BATtersea	Battersea
229	229		BAYswater	Bayswater
650	232		BECkenham	Beckenham
235	235		BELgravia	Belgravia
237	237		BERmondsey	Bermondsey
303	239		BEXleyheath	Bexleyheath
247	247		BIShopsgate	City of London	street of this name
656	258		BLUebell	Addiscombe and South Norwood
888	209		BOWes Park	Wood Green	area served
274	274		BRIxton	Brixton
278	278		BRUnswick	King’s Cross
504	282		BUCkhurst	Woodford and Buckhurst Hill
950	287		BUShey Heath	Bushey Heath
422	297		BYRon	South Harrow
668	299		BYWood	Purley and Kenley	several woods

226	226		CANonbury	Highbury	area served
236	236		CENtral	City of London	Central Markets
242	242		CHAncery	Holborn	Chancery Lane
540	243		CHErrywood	Merton and South Wimbledon	Cherry Wood (Shaldon Drive)
994	244		CHIswick	Chiswick
248	248		CITy	City of London
253	253		CLErkenwell	Clerkenwell
254	254		CLIssold	Dalston	Clissold Park
552	250		CLOcktower	East Ham
205	205		COLindale	Colindale
864	206		CONcord	South Harrow
949	200		COOmbe End	New Malden	area served
520	207		COPpermill	Walthamstow	Coppermill Lane
240	208		COVent Garden	Covent Garden
550	273		CREscent	Barkingside and Redbridge
688	270		CROydon	Croydon
659	279		CRYstal Palace	Sydenham and Penge	exchg. is in Crystal Palace Park Road
286	286		CUNningham	Maida Vale

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

304	326		DANson Park	Bexleyheath	Danson Park
337	337		DERwent	Worcester Park
359	342		DICkens	Highbury
903	345		DILigence	Wembley
450	305		DOLlis Hill	Cricklewood and Dollis Hill
592	306		DOMinion	Dagenham
373	373	d	DREadnought	Earls Court
908	378		DRUmmond	North Wembley
204	379		DRYden	Kingsbury
	382	h l	DUChess
385	385	d	DUKe	Fulham
690	386		DUNcan	Catford

567	325		EALing	Ealing
987	327		EASt	Poplar	“East End” of London
952	334		EDGware	Edgware
807	336		EDMonton	Edmonton
549	339	h v l	EDWard	Kingston
965	354		ELGar	Harlesden	Elgar Avenue (off Mitchellbrook Way), NW10
399	356		ELMbridge	Surbiton	Elmbridge Avenue
953	357		ELStree	Elstree
850	358		ELTham	Eltham
398	362		EMBerbrook	Thames Ditton
603	367		EMPress	West Kensington
363	363		ENField	Enfield
368	368		ENTerprise	Southgate
387	387		EUSton	Euston
393	393		EWEll	Ewell

644	324		FAIrlands	Sutton and Cheam
890	335		FELtham	Feltham and East Bedfont
868	343		FIEld End	Pinner and Eastcote
346	346		FINchley	Finchley
348	348		FITzroy	Hornsey and Highgate
352	352		FLAxman	Chelsea
353	353		FLEet Street	Fleet Street
878	350		FLOral	Mortlake
300	300		FOOts Cray	Sidcup	area served
699	307		FORest Hill	Forest Hill
677	308		FOUntain	Streatham
882	309		FOX Lane	Palmers Green
669	372	m	FRAnklin	Wallington and Carshalton
373	373	d	FREmantle	Earls Court
370	370		FRObisher	Earls Court
385	385	d	FULham	Fulham

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

330	425		GALleon	Worcester Park
579	430		GEOrgian	Ealing
437	437		GERrard	Soho	Gerrard Street
789	442		GIBbon	Putney	Edward Gibbon (Decline and Fall …) was born in Putney
670	447		GIPsy Hill	Gipsy Hill and West Norwood	published
452	452		GLAdstone	Cricklewood and Dollis Hill
675	450	h l	GLObe
599	400		GOOdmayes	Seven Kings and Goodmayes
472	472		GRAngewood	East Ham
858	473		GREenwich	Greenwich
954	474		GRImsdyke	Stanmore	see note
499	470		GROsvenor	Mayfair	Grosvenor Square
485	485		GULliver	Kentish Town
670	497		GYPsy Hill	Gipsy Hill and West Norwood	unpublished

440	423		HADley Green	Barnet	area served
500	424		HAInault	Hainault
435	426		HAMpstead	Hampstead
427	427		HARrow	Harrow
428	428		HATch End	Hatch End
573	429		HAYes	Hayes (Middx) and Cranford
432	432	g	HEAdquarters	City of London	GPO Headquarters
202	436		HENdon	Hendon
444	444		HIGhgate Wood	Muswell Hill	area served
445	445		HILlside	North Finchley
698	448		HITher Green	Catford and Bellingham	area served
749	404		HOGarth	Shepherds Bush
405	405		HOLborn	Holborn
	406	h	HOMerton
407	407		HOP	Southwark	historically several hop merchants
570	408		HOUnslow	Hounslow and Heston
804	409		HOWard	Ponders End
572	483		HUDson	Hounslow and Heston
486	486		HUNter	St Marylebone
462	487		HURstway	Hayes, Kent	Hurstfield, Hurstdene Avenue or Hurst Close
493	493		HYDe Park	Mayfair	Hyde Park

478	453		ILFord	Ilford
467	467		IMPerial	Chislehurst and Bickley	Louis-Napoléon lived and died here
	469	h	INWood
560	475		ISLeworth	Isleworth and Brentford
640	476	h l	ISMay
505	482		IVAnhoe	Woodford and Buckhurst Hill
394	489		IVYdale	Ewell

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

960	582	j l	JUBilee
586	586		JUNiper	St.Johns Wood

366	532		KEAts	Enfield
673	535		KELvin	Balham
589	536		KENsington	South Kensington
328	545		KILburn	Kilburn and Maida Vale
546	546		KINgston-upon-Thames	Kingston
857	547		KIPling	Mottingham and Grove Park
584	564		KNIghtsbridge	South Kensington	Knightsbridge

360	522		LABurnum	Winchmore Hill
969	523		LADbroke	Kensal Green	Ladbroke Grove
390	524	h v l	LAGoon	Surbiton	Surbiton Lagoon
947	525		LAKeside	Wimbledon	Lake in Wimbledon Park
580	526		LANgham	Bloomsbury	Langham Place
527	527		LARkswood	Highams Park	Larks Wood
802	528		LATimer	Stamford Hill
852	533		LEE Green	Lewisham	area served
539	539		LEYtonstone	Leytonstone
542	542		LIBerty	Merton and South Wimbledon
653	548		LIVingstone	Norwood	Livingstone Road
446	502	h l	LOCkwood
588	506		LONdon Wall	City of London (Moorgate)	London Wall
289	507		LORds	Lords and Maida Vale	Lords Cricket Ground
508	508		LOUghton	Loughton
397	509		LOWer Hook	Chessington	area served
432	577	g	LPR	City of London	London Postal region
585	585	l	LTK	Kingsway Trunk Exchange
587	587	g	LTR (RHQ)	Vauxhall	London Telephones Region
583	583		LUDgate Circus	Fleet Street	Ludgate Circus
593	593	x	LXD	Dagenham ?

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

622	622		MACaulay	Nine Elms
624	624		MAIda Vale	Lords (Kilburn, Maida Vale and South Hampstead)
942	625		MALden	New Malden
626	626		MANsion House	City of London (Monument)	Mansion House (building)
534	627		MARyland	Stratford and Forest Gate	Tube Station, etc.
629	629		MAYfair	Mayfair
458	632		MEAdway	Golders Green
643	635		MELville	Sutton and Belmont
637	637	l	MERedith
638	638		METropolitan	City of London (Monument)
959	645		MILl Hill	Mill Hill
623	646		MINcing Lane	City of London (Monument)	Mincing Lane
648	648		MITcham	Mitcham and Morden
979	605		MOLesey	East Molesey and Hampton
606	606		MONarch	City of London
600	600		MOOrgate	City of London	Moorgate
340	608		MOUntview	Hornsey and Highgate
889	685		MULberry	Wood Green
686	686		MUNicipal	Croydon	see note
636	687		MUSeum	Bloomsbury	British Museum

628	628		NATional	City of London (Moorgate)
639	639		NEW Cross	Peckham and New Cross
602	602		NOBle	West Kensington
607	607		NORth	Barnsbury	area is North of the City
848	683		NUFfield	Hayes and Cranford

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

723	723		PADdington	Paddington
886	725		PALmers Green	Palmers Green
727	727		PARk	Bayswater and Notting Hill	Hyde Park
732	732		PECkham Rye	Peckham and New Cross
997	737		PERivale	Perivale, Alperton and North Ealing
866	746		PINner	Pinner and Eastcote
855	758		PLUmstead	Woolwich and Plumstead
764	705		POLlards	Norbury	Pollards Hill
892	707		POPesgrove	Twickenham	road called Popes Grove named after Alexander Pope
722	774		PRImrose	St.Johns Wood	Primrose Hill
876	770		PROspect	Mortlake
788	788		PUTney	Putney

556	724		RAGlan	Leytonstone
460	728		RAVensbourne	Bromley	river Ravensbourne
733	733		REDpost	Brixton	Red Post Hill
734	734		REGent	Soho	Regent Street
735	735		RELiance	Kennington and Walworth (Vauxhall)
736	736		RENown	Fulham
940	742		RIChmond (Surrey)	Richmond (Surrey)
594	747		RIPpleway	Barking	Ripple Road
748	748		RIVerside	Hammersmith	beside the Thames
703	703		RODney	Camberwell and Walworth	Rodney Road
709	709		ROYal	City of London and Wapping	Royal Mint (building)

657	726	m	SANderstead	Sanderstead and Selsdon	photo
720	720		SCOtt	Nine Elms
590	738		SEVen Kings	Seven Kings and Goodmayes
743	743		SHEpherds Bush	Shepherds Bush
739	740		SHOreditch	Shoreditch
529	745		SILverthorn	Chingford
759	759		SKYport	London Airport Heathrow and Harlington
730	750		SLOane	Sloane Square
530	762		SNAresbrook	Wanstead	area served
574	708		SOUthall	Southall
249	772		SPArtan	Dalston
455	773		SPEedwell	Golders Green
777	777		SPRingpark	West Wickham	Spring Park
800	782		STAmford Hill	Stamford Hill
790	783		STEpney Green	Stepney Green
958	780		STOnegrove	Edgware	Stonegrove (Watling Street)
769	787		STReatham	Streatham
799	785		SULlivan	Westminster
203	786		SUNnyhill	Hendon
794	794		SWIss Cottage	Hampstead	area served
778	793		SYDenham	Sydenham and Penge

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

822	822		TABard	Fleet Street	Tabard Inn (building)
828	828		TATe Gallery	Victoria	Tate Gallery
829	829	g	TCY	Waterloo	Telephones CitY
977	833		TEDdington Lock	Teddington
836	836		TEMple Bar	Covent Garden	Temple Bar (monument)
837	837		TERminus	Kings Cross	railway termini
684	840		THOrnton Heath	Thornton Heath
692	843		TIDeway	Deptford	Thames tideway
829	853	g x	TLD	Waterloo	Telephones London District
808	808		TOTtenham	Tottenham
693	809		TOWnley	Dulwich and Camberwell	Townley Road
839	872		TRAfalgar	Whitehall	Trafalgar Square
553	873		TREvelyan	Ilford
870	870		TROjan	Wandsworth
290	878	l	TST
879	879	g	TSW	Wimbledon	Telephones South West
883	883		TUDor	Muswell Hill
674	885		TULse Hill	Tulse Hill and Brixton Hill
995	887		TURnham Green	Chiswick	Turnham Green
894	894		TWIckenham Green	Twickenham

863	863		UNDerhill	Harrow	under Harrow-on-the-Hill
660	875		UPLands	Purley and Kenley	high ground
806	877		UPPer Clapton	Clapton

554	825		VALentine	Ilford	Valentine Public House, 27 Perth Road
874	826		VANdyke	Wandsworth
834	842		VICtoria	Victoria
642	844		VIGilant	Sutton and Belmont	don’t know - see note
845	845		VIKing	Northolt and Yeading	Viking Primary School, Radcliffe Way
349	847		VIRginia	Finchley
263	848	h l	VIVian

New	Old		Name	Area served	Local justification for name

647	925	m	WALlington (Surrey)	Wallington and Carshalton
989	926		WANstead	Wanstead
302	927		WARing Park	Sidcup	Waring Park
928	928		WATerloo	Waterloo
578	929		WAXlow	Greenford	Waxlow Crescent
935	935		WELbeck	St Marylebone	Welbeck Street
902	936		WEMbley	Wembley
937	937		WEStern	Kensington	Western part of central London
930	944		WHItehall	Westminster	Whitehall
464	943		WIDmore	Bromley	Widmore Road
459	945		WILlesden	Willesden
946	946		WIMbledon	Wimbledon
854	900		WOOlwich	Woolwich and Plumstead
907	907		WORdsworth	Kenton

			Director fringe : count = 126

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

69.4	69	f5	MX Ashford (Middx)
69.5	69	f5	MX Ashford (Middx)
298	298	f	AX 8 Ashtead

0959 7	0959 7	f0	0WK 97 Badgers Mount
100	100	f*	100 Bayford
939	234	f	BE 4 Betchworth (Surrey)
269	269	f	BN 9 Biggin Hill
0883 87	0093 87	f0 b	Bletchingley (automatic)
	100	f*	100 Bletchingley (manual)
259	259	f*	BK 9 Bookham
265	265	f	BM 5 Bowmansgreen
	968	f* j	XM 8 Brasted
25.5	25	f5	Burgh Heath (automatic)
	295	f*	BX 5 Burgh Heath (manual)
29.4	29	f5	BY Byfleet

22.4	22	f5	CA Caterham
100	100	f*	Chalvey Park
655	655	f	ML 5 Chertsey
260	260	f	CN 0 Chorleywood
266	266	f	CM 6 Cobham (Surrey)
964	964	f	XM 4 Colnbrook
5695	5695	f3	KN 95 Colney Heath
29.5	29	f5	CY Crayford
284	284	f	CU 4 Cuffley

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

32.2	32	f5	DA Dartford (Kent)
332	332	f	DE 2 Denham (Bucks)
71.5	71	f5	Downland (automatic)
	355	f*	DL 5 Downland (manual)

389	389	f	ET 9 Egham
375	375	f	EP 5 Epping
392	344	f*	EH 4 Epsom
38.3	38	f5	ET Erith
37.6	37	f5	ES Esher
9679	9679	f3	XN 79 Essendon

36.5	36	f5	FN Farnborough (Kent)
369	369	f*	FM 9 Farnham Common (Bucks)
320	320	f	FA 0 Farningham
395	395	f*	FX 5 Fulmer (Bucks)

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

477	477	f	GR 7 Garston (Herts)
	434	f	GE 4 Gerrard's Cross (4 figure nos)
49.8	49	f5	Gerrard's Cross (5 figure nos)
0883 84	0093 87	f0 b	Godstone (automatic)
	100	f*	100 Godstone (manual)
479	479	f	GR 9 Greenhithe

420	420	f	HA 0 Harefield
	456	f	HL 6 Hatfield (Herts, 4 figure nos)
45.6	45	f5	Hatfield (Herts, 5 figure nos)
45.7	45	f5	Hatfield (Herts, 5 figure nos)
0372 86	0372 86	f0	Headley (Surrey, automatic)
	100	f*	100 Headley (Surrey, manual)
433	433	f	HE 3 Hertford
	403	f	HO 3 Hoddesdon (4 figure nos)
46.6	46	f5	Hoddesdon (5 figure nos)
49.4	49	f5	HX Hornchurch
49.5	49	f5	HX Hornchurch

45.4	45	f5	IL Ingrebourne		River Ingrebourne, serves Harold Wood
490	490	f*	IX 0 Iver
100	100	f*	Iver Heath

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

544	544	f	KG 4 King's Langley
562	562	f	KN 2 Knockholt

537	537	f	LE 7 Leatherhead
576	576	f	LP 6 Limpsfield Chart
503	503	f	LO 3 Lodge Hill
5585	5585	f3	LK 85 Long Cross

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

649	649	f*	MH 9 Merstham
604	604	f	MO 4 Mogador

667	667	f	NN 7 Nazeing
100	100	f*	100 North Weald
65.2	65	f5	NL Northwood (Middx)
682	682	f	NT 2 Nutfield Ridge

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

66.2	66	f5	MM Orpington
66.3	66	f5	MM Orpington
830	830	f	TF O Otford
5587	5587	f3	LK 87 Ottershaw (3 figure nos)
719	719	f	Ottershaw (4 figure nos)
970	970	f	XS O Oxshott
988	988	f	XT 8 Oxted

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

0727 33	776	f0	PR 6 Park Street
77.5	77	f5	PR Potters Bar
792	792	f	PX 2 Purfleet

779	779	f	RR9 Radlett
76.5	76	f5	Rainham (Essex, automatic)
798	798	f*	RX 8 Rainham (Essex, manual)
71.6	71	f5	Redhill (automatic)
	756	f*	RL 6 Redhill (manual)
74.4	74	f5	RG Reigate
	749	f	RH 9 Rickmansworth (4 figure nos)
79.7	79	f5	Rickmansworth (5 figure nos)
70.4	70	f5	RO Romford
70.6	70	f5	RO Romford
	784	f	RU 4 Ruislip (4 figure nos)
71.3	71	f5	Ruislip (5 figure nos)
71.7	71	f5	Ruislip (5 figure nos)

75.2	75	f5	SL Slough
75.3	75	f5	SL Slough
766	766	f	SM 6 South Mimms
700	700	f	SO 0 South Ockendon
56.5	56	f5	LN St. Albans
56.6	56	f5	LN St. Albans
79.5	79	f5	SW Staines
6658	6658	f3	NM 58 Stapleford
	768	f	SM 8 Sunbury-on-Thames (4 figure nos)
76.8	76	f5	Sunbury-on-Thames (5 figure nos)
	757	f j	SK 7 Swakeleys
755	755	f	SL 5 Swanley (Dartford)

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

823	823	f	TA 3 Tadworth
0959 8	0959 8	f0	0WK 98 Tatsfield
849	849	f	TH 9 Theydon Bois

865	865	f*	UM 5 Upminster (Essex)
820	820	f	UA 0 Upper Warlingham
89.3	89	f5	UX Uxbridge
89.5	89	f5	UX Uxbridge

New	Old		Code Name		Notes

97.3	97	f5	WS Waltham Cross
98.2	98	f5	WT Walton-on-Thames
98.4	98	f5	WT Walton-on-Thames
92.2	92	f5	WA Watford
92.4	92	f5	WA Watford
96.2	96	f5	WN Welwyn Garden
96.3	96	f5	WN Welwyn Garden
933	933	f	WE 3 West Drayton
978	978	f	WS 8 Westerham
97.4	97	f5	WR Weybridge
95.5	95	f5	WK Windsor
95.6	95	f5	WK Windsor
905	905	f	WO 5 Woldingham (Surrey)
983	983	f	WT 3 Wraysbury

			Services : count = 20
123	846	s u	TIM Speaking Clock [TIMe]
151	364	s	ENG Telephone out of order or broken [ENGineer]
160	867	s u	UMP Test Match score [UMPire]
191	463	s	INF Other Telephone Enquiries and Supervisor
192	347	s	DIR Directory Enquiries, Inland
196	196	s l	Automatic director testing
190	835	s	TEL Inland telegrams and Enquiries
246	275	s u	ASK Teletourist and Road Weather
246	932	s u	WEA Weather
296	296	s l	Automatic director testing
396	396	s l	Automatic director testing
496	496	s l	Automatic director testing
557	557	s	557 Overseas Telegrams
559	559	s	559 Overseas Telegram Enquiries
596	596	s l	Automatic director testing
696	696	s l	Automatic director testing
796	796	s l	Automatic director testing
896	896	s l	Automatic director testing
996	996	s l	Automatic director testing
999	999	s	999 Emergency calls

			Total count = 424
Relist in dial-numeric order Dialling code booklet 1964 \| Dialling code booklet 1968 \| Phone pages index

				Sources

			The basis of this list is the booklet: "Dialling codes and call charges London 1964 51-9469" (LDCB64)
			The booklet: "Dialling Instructions and Call charges London 1968" Dd. 35/438939 1/68 (LDCB68) has also been examined and differences between it and LDCB64 are noted.
			Entries in the 'Area served' column are from telephone directories of the period.

			Also on show is a London Call Office Notice "CO7 DIR LON Issue 5 Wt. F76303 15m 9/63 Ed (317) Frame No. 29" (LCON63). ++++ incomplete
			Sam Hallas’ list with extensive annotation.
			Also on Sam Hallas’ site: this list (marked at the bottom "Retirement Homes for ex-Police Officers" !). Possibly early 1970s - includes some DDi codes, eg. "906 J. Laing Ltd & Mill Hill.
			This 1982 list includes an interesting map of the Director and finge areas.

				Notes

		§	"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

		d	DREadnought and FREmantle both map on to 373. Both names were published - why? Likewise DUKe and FULham.

		g	DDI to GPO PABX's. LPR mapped on to HEAdquarters and TLD mapped on to TCY.

		h	Seen in an Hitchin list of 1966 - not in LDCB68. Note that the codes for GLObe, ISMay and VIVian were re-used for new codes so clearly these exchanges closed before 1966.

		m	In LDCB68 FRAnklin and WALlington (FRA and WAL in caps but not bold) are listed in the Local Calls section (ie. codes for adjacent non-director exchanges) rather than in the Director section. But there is no asterisk against each name, indicating that the exchange has already been automated. This is probably because it was the last manual exchange in London. Images.

		v	LAGoon and EDWard - information from Vauxhall Victor not in LDCB68.

		s	Services

		u	Recorded Information Services - see this write-up.

		x	LXD and TLD are not listed in LDCB68 but have been seen elsewhere.

670	447		GIPsy Hill	Both GIP (447) and GYP (497) were routed to Gipsy Hill for the benefit of bad spellers! Information from Tony Scott ex Director exchange engineer.
670	497		GYPsy

954	474		GRImsdyke	When the GPO named this exchange they were probably thinking of Grim's Dyke the house and estate on Oxhey Lane, Harrow Weald which is best remembered as being the house where W. S. Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan lived and died. But the house is in turn named after Grim's Ditch, a Romano-British earthwork which runs near the house.

686	686		MUNicipal	The main phone number for the London Borough of Croydon offices was MUNicipal 4433. But this doesn't really justify the choice of exchange name. This number (after various mutations to 020 8686 4433) still works and is widely publicised. But the council's own website now gives this page with a lot of DDI numbers.

			Exchange names had quite a wide influence: One or two of the 'Area served' entries are affected. For example, if LORds exchange had been called something different, the GPO would have described the area served as 'Maida Vale and St. John's Wood'. The cricket ground has not really given its name to the area. Non-geographic exchange names - such as GALleon and GULliver - often gave their names to local shops. A quick directory enquiry on half a dozen exchange names in 1999 threw up just one example: The Vigilant Off-Licence, 6 Regent Parade, Sutton - still with a phone number on Vigilant exchange. Some of the things I have put down as justification for name may in fact be derivations from the exchange name. I suspect that Elgar Avenue was built after Elgar exchange got its name and that the exchange may in fact have had an influence on the name of the Avenue.

		f	Director fringe - exchanges outside the London charge group but accessible at local call rate from London

		f5	Director fringe exchanges with 5 digit subscribers’ numbers. For example, the published code for Caterham was 22. We know from other sources (or by elimination) that subscribers’ numbers in Caterham began with 4.

		f3	Director fringe exchanges with 3 digit subscribers’ numbers.

		f*	"For a starred exchange* dial the code only and ask the operator for the exchange and number that you want." LDCB68 Where the code is not 100, these are manual exchanges and the code took you directly to the operators of that exchange. For the others, I believe that Chalvey Park and Iver Heath were temporary automatic exchanges (green vans parked outside the exchange) serving Iver. The London operators had access directly to these bypassing the Iver operators. I am not sure what the story is for Bayford and North Weald.

		f0	Published local code is the STD code. Smallish exchanges where it was not practicable to create a direct route from everywhere. Eg. for a north London exchange to reach Bletchingley, south of London would have required more routing digits than the director could handle.

Comments, corrections and suggestions to fill in the blanks in the 'Local justification for name' column will be gratefully received by: Phreak@RHaworth.net

Relist in dial-numeric order
Dialling code booklet 1964 | Dialling code booklet 1968 | Phone pages index

Roger W. Haworth

2022 Dec -	Add stuff from 1964 DCB
2022 Dec 02 -	Codes seen on Hitchin list added
2021 May 07 -	GYPsy added. Count discrepancies resolved
2018 Jan 07 -	Director fringe annotation
2017 Jun 19 -	Use SQL at last
2005 Aug 02
1999 Dec 08 -	First version

php file date: 2023 Jan 07 12:27:19

London Director Exchange Names

In exchange name order

Director exchanges : count = 278

Director fringe : count = 126

Services : count = 20

Total count = 424