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.

History

London had a large network of manual exchanges (80 in 1927) and individual telephone exchanges were given names, e.g. Central; a caller asked the operator for Central 1234. However, although the General Post Office (GPO) had commenced installation of automatic exchanges from 1912, the basic Strowger or SXS switch adopted as standard by the GPO 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 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 Times (London), 1927; 14 November p9 & 16 November p9 The number could be dialled as 387-1234 or spoken to a manual exchange operator as Euston 1234.

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.

Until the late 1960s, some outer London exchanges did not offer direct dialling, and their numbers could be identified in the directory by being printed in light type, unlike normal exchanges, whose first three letters appeared in bold type. To call a Pinner number, for example, you would dial PIN, wait for the operator to answer, then state the 4-figure number required.

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 (7)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.

List of exchanges 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 (zero) when dialling from within the United Kingdom. When dialling a UK number from abroad the zero is omitted and replaced by the calling country's international call prefix followed by 44, the country code for the UK. Thus a call to the Euston exchange discussed above from the United States would be to 011 (US international prefix) 44 20 (London) 73871234. OLO code Exchange name London borough Dial 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 LNCNW Canary Wharf Tower Hamlets 020 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 CLFAR Faraday City of London 020 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 LWHARE Harefield Hillingdon 01895 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 CLMON Monument City of London 020 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 Shepherd's 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 (Gerrard Street) 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 LSWAN Wandsworth Wandsworth 020 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 CLWOO Wood Street City of London 020 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 code Exchange name District, County Dial code LWBUS Bushey Heath Hertsmere, Hertfordshire 020 LWELS Elstree Hertsmere, Hertfordshire 020 LNHAI Hainault Epping Forest, Essex 020 LSEWE Ewell Epsom and Ewell, Surrey 020 LNLOU Loughton Epping Forest, Essex 020 LSTHDT Thames Ditton Elmbridge, Surrey 020

See also Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom

Notes

References

External links London Director Exchange Names - Roger W. Haworth Old London Telephone Exchange Names - Paul Coxwell Old London telephone exchanges - Jane's London (pictures)