List of telephone exchanges in London


This is a list of telephone exchanges located within Greater London.
Occasionally in areas of high demand two exchanges are located at the same premises; for example Canary Wharf and Poplar. As each exchange has four-digits for the local telephone number, the maximum size is under 10,000 subscribers).
London had a large network of manual exchanges and individual telephone exchanges were given names, e.g. Ebsfleet; a caller asked the operator for Ebsfleet 1234. But although the BPO had commenced installation of automatic exchanges from 1912, the basic Strowger or SXS switch adopted as standard by the BPO was not suitable for large cities like London. So from 1927 a development of the SXS switch was installed in London, the Director system; first at HOLborn followed by BIShopgate and SLOane exchanges and then WEStern and MONument. Telephones on automatic exchanges had letters as well as numbers were marked on the telephone dial, and calls to London numbers used the first three letters of the exchange name followed by four digits, e.g. EUS 1234. The number could be dialled as 387-1234 or spoken to a manual exchange operator as Euston 1234.
When the London network was fully automatic, letters were then dropped, but dialling remained the same for existing exchanges; "EUS" corresponded to 387, so that the number would be dialled 387 1234. Each GPO exchange had its own three-digit code, so that a 387- number was in the Euston area. The dialling sequence for the same exchange later became 01-387 1234, 071-387 1234, then 0171-387 1234, and finally 020-7387 1234.
As the telephone system was modernised and liberalised with multiple telephone companies, and numbers became portable the rigid correspondence of numeric codes to exchanges was relaxed, but even today it is likely that a 387 number, for example, is located in the Euston area. Lists of numbers allocated to BT exchanges in the UK, including London, are available online, and enable the exchange associated with a given number to be found, if applicable. Locations of exchanges, given a postcode in their catchment area, are also documented.
NOTE: The United Kingdom adopts an open dialling plan for area codes within its public switched telephone network. Therefore, all area codes have a preceding 0 when dialling from within the United Kingdom. When dialling a UK number from abroad the zero must not be included, but replaced by the calling country's international call prefix followed by the 44, the country code for the UK. Thus a call to the Euston exchange discussed above from the United States would be to 011 44 20 73871234.
OLO codeExchange nameLondon boroughDial code
LWACT Acton Ealing 020
LSADD Addiscombe Croydon 020
LNADK Albert Dock Newham 020
WRBAL Balham Wandsworth 020
LNBKG Barking Barking and Dagenham 020
LNBAR Barnet Barnet 020
LSBATT Battersea Wandsworth 020
WEWBAY Bayswater Westminster 020
LSBEC Beckenham Bromley 020
WRBEL Belgravia Westminster 020
CLBER Bermondsey Southwark 020
LSBEU Beulah Hill Croydon 020
LSBEX Bexleyheath Bexley 020
NDBHI Biggin Hill Bromley 01959
CLBIS Bishopsgate City of London 020
WEWBLO Bloomsbury Camden 020
LNBPK Bowes Park Haringey 020
WRBRIX Brixton Lambeth 020
LSBRO Bromley Bromley 020
LNCNWCanary WharfTower Hamlets020
CLCAN Canonbury Islington 020
LSCTFD Catford Lewisham 020
WRCHEL Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea 020
LSCHES Chessington Kingston upon Thames 020
LNCHF Chingford Waltham Forest 020
LSCHI Chislehurst Bromley 020
LWCHI Chiswick Hounslow 020
LNCLA Clapton Hackney 020
CLCLE Clerkenwell Islington 020
LWCOL Colindale Barnet 020
CLCOV Covent Garden Westminster 020
LSCRAY Crayford Bexley 01322
LWCRI Cricklewood Barnet 020
LNCED Crouch End Haringey 020
LSCRO Croydon Croydon 020
LNDAG Dagenham Barking and Dagenham 020
LWDEN Denham Denham 01895
LSDEP Deptford Lewisham 020
LSDOW Downland Croydon 01737
LSDUL Dulwich Southwark 020
LWEAL Ealing Ealing 020
WRECT Earls Court Kensington and Chelsea 020
LWEDG Edgware Barnet 020
LNEDM Edmonton Enfield 020
LSELT Eltham Greenwich 020
LNENF Enfield Enfield 020
LSERI Erith Bexley 01322
CLEUS Euston Camden 020
CLFARFaradayCity of London020
LSFARB Farnborough Bromley 01689
LWFEL Feltham Hounslow 020
LNFIN Finchley Barnet 020
CLFLE Fleet City of London 020
LSFOR Forest Hill Lewisham 020
WRFULM Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham 020
LNGHL Gants Hill Redbridge 020
LSGIP Gipsy Hill Lambeth 020
LWGOL Golders Green Barnet 020
LNGDM Goodmayes Redbridge 020
LWGRE Greenford Ealing 020
LSGRNW Greenwich Greenwich 020
LSGRO Grove Park Lewisham 020
LNHAC Hackney Hackney 020
LWHAM Hammersmith Hammersmith and Fulham 020
WEWHAM Hampstead Camden 020
LWHAREHarefieldHillingdon01895
LWHARL Harlesden Brent 020
LWHARR Harrow Harrow 020
LWHAT Hatch End Harrow 020
LSHAY Hayes Common Bromley 020
LWHAY Hayes North Hillingdon 020
LWHEN Hendon Barnet 020
LNHPK Highams Park Waltham Forest 020
CLHOL Holborn Camden 020
LNHOR Hornchurch Havering 01708
LWHOU Hounslow Hounslow 020
LNILC Ilford Central Redbridge 020
LNILN Ilford North Redbridge 020
LNING Ingrebourne Havering 01708
LWISL Isleworth Hounslow 020
LWKGRE Kensal Green Westminster 020
WRKGDN Kensington Gardens Kensington and Chelsea 020
CLKEN Kentish Town Camden 020
LWKROA Kenton Road Harrow 020
LSKID Kidbrooke Greenwich 020
CLKXX Kings Cross Camden 020
LWKIN Kingsbury Brent 020
CLKLG Kingsland Green Islington 020
LSKIN Kingston Kingston upon Thames 020
LWKNE Kneller Hall Richmond upon Thames 020
LSLEE Lee Green Lewisham 020
LNLEY Leytonstone Waltham Forest 020
LSLODH Lodge Hill Croydon 01689
WEWLOR Lords Westminster 020
CLLOW Lower Holloway Islington 020
WEWMAI Maida Vale Camden 020
LSMAL Malden Kingston upon Thames 020
WEWMAR Marylebone Westminster 020
WEWMAY Mayfair Westminster 020
LSMEPK Merton Park Merton 020
LNMED Mile End Tower Hamlets 020
LWMIL Mill Hill Barnet 020
LSMIT Mitcham Merton 020
LSMOL Molesey Richmond upon Thames 020
CLMONMonumentCity of London020
CLMOO Moorgate City of London 020
LSMOR Mortlake Richmond upon Thames 020
LNMUS Muswell Hill Haringey 020
CLNEW New Cross Lewisham 020
LNNWS New Southgate Barnet 020
WRNELMS Nine Elms Wandsworth 020
LSNOR Norbury Croydon 020
LSNCHM North Cheam Sutton 020
LWNEDG North Edgware Barnet 020
LNNFN North Finchley Barnet 020
WEWNPN North Paddington Westminster 020
LWNWEM North Wembley Brent 020
LWNOR Northolt Ealing 020
LWNWOO Northwood Hillingdon 01923
LSORP Orpington Bromley 01689
WEWPAD Paddington Westminster 020
LNPGN Palmers Green Enfield 020
WRPGRN Parsons Green Hammersmith and Fulham 020
LWPER Perivale Ealing 020
WRPIM Pimlico Westminster 020
LWPIN Pinner Harrow 020
LNPON Ponders End Enfield 020
LNPOP Poplar Tower Hamlets 020
WEWPRI Primrose Hill Westminster 020
LSPUR Purley Croydon 020
LSPUT Putney Wandsworth 020
LNRAI Rainham Havering 01708
LSRIC Richmond Kew Richmond upon Thames 020
LNROM Romford Havering 01708
LWRUI Ruislip Hillingdon 01895
LSRUS Rushey Green Lewisham 020
LSSAN Sanderstead Croydon 020
LWSHE Shepherds Bush Hammersmith and Fulham 020
CLSHO Shoreditch Hackney 020
LSSID Sidcup Bexley 020
LWSKY Skyport Hillingdon 020
LSSLA Slade Green Bexley 01322
WRSLO Sloane Kensington and Chelsea 020
WEWSOH Soho Westminster 020
LSCLPM South Clapham Wandsworth 020
LWSHAR South Harrow Harrow 020
WRSKEN South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea 020
LWSOU Southall Ealing 020
WRSTHBK Southbank Southwark 020
CLSOU Southwark Southwark 020
LNSTA Stamford Hill Hackney 020
LWSTAN Stanmore Harrow 020
CLSTE Stepney Green Tower Hamlets 020
LNSTF Stratford Newham 020
LSSTR Streatham Lambeth 020
LSSUR Surbiton Kingston upon Thames 020
LSSUT Sutton Cheam Sutton 020
LSSYD Sydenham Bromley 020
LSTED Teddington Richmond upon Thames 020
LSTHMD Thamesmead Greenwich 020
LSTHO Thornton Heath Croydon 020
LNTOT Tottenham Haringey 020
LSTUL Tulse Hill Lambeth 020
LWTWI Twickenham Richmond upon Thames 020
LNUPM Upminster Havering 01708
CLUPP Upper Holloway Islington 020
LNUPK Upton Park Newham 020
LWUXB Uxbridge Hillingdon 01895
WRVAUX Vauxhall Lambeth 020
LSWAL Wallington Sutton 020
LNWTH Walthamstow Waltham Forest 020
CLWAL Walworth Southwark 020
LSWANWandsworthWandsworth020
LNWSD Wanstead Redbridge 020
CLWAP Wapping Tower Hamlets 020
LWWEM Wembley Brent 020
LWWDRA West Drayton Hillingdon 01895
WRWKEN West Kensington Hammersmith and Fulham 020
LSWWKM West Wickham Bromley 020
WRWMIN Westminster Westminster 020
WRWHI Whitehall Westminster 020
LWWIL Willesden Brent 020
LSWIM Wimbledon Merton 020
LNWIN Winchmore Hill Enfield 020
CLWOOWood StreetCity of London020
LNWFD Woodford Redbridge 020
LSWOO Woolwich Greenwich 020
LSWOR Worcester Park Sutton 020

The following exchanges are located outside Greater London, but use the London 020 dial code.
OLO codeExchange nameDistrict, CountyDial code
LWBUSBushey HeathHertsmere, Hertfordshire020
LWELSElstreeHertsmere, Hertfordshire020
LNHAIHainaultEpping Forest, Essex020
LSEWEEwellEpsom and Ewell, Surrey020
LNLOULoughtonEpping Forest, Essex020
LSTHDTThames DittonElmbridge, Surrey020

Automatic exchanges

London manual exchanges were gradually converted to Director automatic exchanges from 1927. Holborn was the first, at midnight on Saturday 12 November, a local and tandem exchange. Bishopgate and Sloane exchanges followed in six weeks, then Western and Monument exchanges. The London area contained 80 exchanges, and full conversion was to take many years.