The space in the STD codes
 

The attached page is from the London Dialling Code Booklet for 1968 which I found online. The relevant STD codes had the space after the 4th digit, e.g. Ackworth is shown as 0977 63, whereas in later Dialling Code Booklets from around 1970 onwards it would have been shown with the space after the 3rd digit i.e. 097 763, as would all similar codes.

The space after the 4th digit would have made more sense to me as Ackworth was effectively Pontefract (0977) followed by 63. The Post Office, who ran the telephones then, must have made the decision at some time to change the spacing of the STD codes. Does anyone remember why?

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Weren't STD codes originally all 4 figures with a leading 0? (Apart from the likes of London, Birmingham etc). The next few digits were the LOCAL code from the STD exchange to the village or other small area exchange involved. That would make the '68 division logical to an engineer. Later on I presume the divisions were just artificial to make all complete numbers inc STD code easier to remember, perhaps?

I suspect a lot of older folks like myself will still think of a London number such as 020 7589 5111 as 0207 589 5111- the 3+4 London number arrangement goes back a long time!

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

As you say it is a lot easier in the earlier layout to recognise where an exchange was. No-one at the time seemed to know why. The only thing it did do is make it easier to spot the GSCs (or in later years exchanges which had moved into the Linked Numbering Scheme for that code) - those with just the 0ABC digits.

In the reproductions of STD code books for CNet ( Collectors Network were we still dial use the old STD codes) the numbers are set out in the earlier more logical format.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

No. The original STD codes consisted of letters and figures. For example:-

0NO3 Norwich later 0603 later 01603
0IP3 Ipswich later 0473 later 01473

I think All Figure Numbering (AFN) came in around 1968.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

They were in the early days of STD laid out differently to that! See attached from an STD code book printed during the days of only two pages of codes! Printed in the format of 0AB C or 0AB CDE

i.e Carlisle was 0CA 8 and Burgh-by-Ands, a UAX off Carlisle was shown as 0CA 878

With reference to 'All-Figure-Numbering' I have a May 1966 codebook with all the STD codes in numbers only but Director Areas were still using first three letters of exchange names as part of the number for older exchanges whereas new exchanges in the Director areas were all figure at that time. The change to AFN had been completed by beginning of 1968.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Forgot to mention - They were set out in the 0AB C format until the earlier books than May 1966.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Going back to the 1960's, when I lived in Poynton a village near Stockport with my parents, there were 2 codes, which if memory serves were 0624 if dialling from a local subscriber exchange and 09967 for non local subscriber exchanges. Later Poynton came under the Greater Manchester area and the code changed to 709, which corresponded with the first 3 letters of Poynton. The same was true for all the areas in and around Manchester, unless the third letter to number conversion was in use, in which case instead of the third letter being used it would change to the fourth and so on, until a non used code number was achieved. Poynton was using the 4 digit number per line until later changing to 6 digit per line. It could be difficult to phone Poynton numbers from other areas before the 709 came in. I know because I had to get an operator to assist once, who subsequently had to transfer me to another operator nearer to Poynton, I was ringing from a motorway services to let the family know that the coach was running late.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Couldn't have been 0624 as that was the STD code for Douglas (Isle of Man) if the exchange had STD - but if they hadn't, the '0' would have been the code for the Operator.

The code for Poynton was always PO9 even in pre STD days from exchanges in the Manchester Director Area and 709 with the introduction of AFN. Then when 5 digit numbers appeared on Poynton exchange in the 1970's, the code 25 from the Director area was added for use with them - still a total of seven digits from the Director area.

Poynton was also 77 from Macclesfield Non-Director Group Switching Centre.

The STD code for Poynton was originally 0996 7 but when the exchange moved into the Macclesfield 'Linked Numbering Scheme' and the numbers became 6 digits long around July 1980, the STD code for Poynton became 0625 and thus there was no code from Macclesfield. The 'local' code from the Manchester Director Area became just the single digit '7' - still with a total of seven digits. Interestingly, the local code '7' was also used from the Director Area exchanges for Bolton, Farnworth, Heywood, Padgate, Rochdale and Warrington six digit numbers! All miles away - the routing was also determined by the initial digits of the individual phone numbers.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Thanks for the 0625 correction, that was a typo on my part. I was told a long time back that the spaces, although not used by the exchanges etc, were there to make it easier for customers to remember numbers and to easily see which area where they were dialling. Indeed even now with mobile phone numbers, when printed, there is often a space inserted after the first 5 digiits.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Although not strictly true, I tend to think of the first group of five digits as the provider code (although it is sometimes shorter or longer) and the remaining six as the "subscriber's" number. Admittedly, you always have to use the whole number when dialling.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

My local exchange was OMH2.
Interesting that the 'O' in front of the pre-AFN is actually pronounced and written 'O', and not 'Zero'.
I always thought that it was, but it's nice to have it confirmed.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

The initial 'digit' was actually printed as a capital O during the days pf Alpha/Numberic codes - see O270 on the attached.

It didn't really matter as the 'O' and '0' were in the same location on the dial - the tenth digit - unlike the American/Canadian dial which has the letter 'O' adjacent to the M and N on the digit 6. Note you'll occasionally come across GPO type Dial No 10/12's with the letter 'O' on the digit 6. These have originated from UK manufactured telephones supplied to Canada.

Once All Figure Numbering started to come in 1966, the initial 'digit' was printed as a 'zero' but folk carried on referring to it as 'Oh' ;)

Modern mobile phones (and the odd modern 'landline' phones with letters) of course follow the US pattern of lettering :(

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Some of us still say 'Oh' when reading out phone numbers, even mobile ones! Don't do it for the following '0' or '0's' though, only the first digit.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

As a matter of interest the STD director codes, apart from 01 for London, were in alphabetical order for Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester as 021, 031, 041, 051 and 061 respectively.The initial city letters correspond to the numeral on an alpha-numeric dial.

They would be followed by a local 3 digit code often derived from the name of the local exchange in a similar way from a dial. Example 0161-624 2211 for Manchester, Main (Oldham); MAI being represented as 624

Then the 4 digit "subscriber's" number - many of you will know the significance of 2211.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

I must admit that when saying my telephone number, I say "oh" for all the zeroes in it - four of them in total.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

I believe Manchester Airport has its own exchange with numbers in the '0161 489' sequence.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

And Altrincham was 061-928, Blackfriar 061-834, GPO 061-863 and plenty more examples! The first the digits taken from the exchange name was only applicable before 'sectorisation' took place in Manchester around 1967. Some codes didn't change but most did if they ended up in a different 'numerical' zone to their original letter.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

My Dad's Mum was confused by long distance dialling, especially as she didn't do it very often

Once she was trying to call my Dad at a number in Didsbury, but was dialling D1D (313) rather than 343 & couldn't get through.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

"They would be followed by a local 3 digit code OFTEN derived from the name of the local exchange in a similar way from a dial."

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Doesn't 'ring a bell' ;) with me - did you mean 1212?

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Not quite true. They had their own Private Automatic Branch eXchange at the airport. The 061/1616-489 was a block of DDI numbers. 'DDI' stands for 'Direct Dialling In' where the final digits of the telephone number were sent from the GPO/PO/BT exchange to the customer's PABX. Hence whilst the Airport PABX might have had say 3000 extensions, there would only be say 250 lines coming from the public exchange. The 'Mercury' public exchange with the 489 DDI number range on it was located in nearby Finney Lane in Heald Green not too far from the airport

In 1972, there were three Strowger Director exchanges known as 'Mercury' with the codes 061-437, 061-493 and 061-497 - the 061-437 being the exchange that was originally 061-MER before sectorisation. There was also a fourth unit a Crossbar K3 Director exchange with the code 061-436. The 061-489 numbers were on the 061-437 exchange - the origin one in the 'Mercury' group. Now a group of System X and Y exchanges for a short while longer ;)

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Just to clear the picture a little. In a 'Director' area when it was initially formed, essentially it was a 'Linked Numbering Scheme' where the first three digits dialled were the first three letters of the exchange name followed by a four digit number on the particular exchange. The three initial digits were then 'translated' into the digits required to reach the particular required exchange then the four digits followed.

Prior to STD, only the dials in a Director area had letters on them, plus those in the adjacent Non-Director area exchanges for which the Director area was a local call. However shortly after the start of 'All Figure Numbering' in 1966, 'sectorisation' took place in Director areas where the geographic area was split up with the initial digit being the same as other adjacent exchanges in the same sector (see attached map for Manchester Director Area). More by luck some exchanges initial digit remained the same as that of the sector and hence they were able to keep their original three letter code i.e. CENtral was 236 and was in Sector 2. Then when AFN was completed around 1968/69, CENtral was listed as 061-236 joining all the other new AFN exchanges which never had 'letter' equivalents.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

It was sometimes used as the 'Fault Reporting' Telephone number in an exchange. On five/six digit exchanges it would have other digits prefixed.
There were 69 out of the 549 Group Switching Centre/Trunk Switching Centre phone numbers that ended in 2211 - just as many in 2111 and way more ending in just 111.

2190 for originally the standard for UAX7 and UAX14's. Also used for some four digit Non-Director GSCs.

UAX12 ad 13's used 290.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Well explained by Pellseinydd lots of the local exchanges had 2211 as a 'special faults' number

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

I can't see a map attached.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Whoops, cat knocked it off! Good excuse;)

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

I worked as an apprentice on various London exchanges in the early 80's and did periods of time on 'specials' 222, 839. 930 etc. The main problem was kids who cold pick up the receiver and play with the dial and called us, it was almost a daily occurrence.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Yup, beats "the dog ate my homework" into a cocked hat!

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

The code for Etwall 4-figure numbers always used to be given as 028 373. To reach Etwall from Burton-on-Trent (0283) you dialled 73, followed by the 4-figure Etwall number.

I guess the idea of the spacing was more to balance the grouping for visual appeal, rather than to indicate exactly the division into parent exchange, satellite exchange and local number.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Oooooh was it? !

See attached - camera must be doing odd things or I need new specs ;)

Don't think it's the cats this time !

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

It must have been around 1970 that the Etwall code as listed in dialling code booklets will have changed to being shown as 028 373 instead of 0283 73. From Burton on Trent you would have only needed to dial 73. However...it wasn't always this logical. In the 1980's Leeds and Harewood both had the code 0532. From Leeds to Harewood you would just dial the number, whereas from Harewood to Leeds you had to dial 9 followed by the Leeds number. Harewood was eventually change to Leeds numbers, in 1986 I think.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Yes, if you were in Burton-on-Trent then you dialled 73 for an Etwall 4-figure number. From Etwall, you had to dial 9 for a Burton number.

The only changes really, going from 4 to 6 figures, were that (1) anyone in Etwall had to remember to put 73 in front of any number in the village and omit the initial 9 from any local code starting with a 9, and (2) the 963 short code from Derby (Burton from Derby was 962, and the other Burton satellites were 962 7x, but Etwall used to have its own special short code from Derby) no longer worked. For anyone calling an Etwall number from anywhere else, the digits dialled were the same.

As for local dialling oddities, there were a few around my area. Derby to Ashbourne was 91, Burton to Derby was 93 but Burton to Ashbourne was just 939. I guess the inbound trunk dropped straight into the middle of a hunt group like that to prevent chaining of local codes. Absit omen someone in Etwall should get a call to Belper at local rate; even though they could dial all the way to Cannock in Staffordshire, some 50km away, at local rate!

The Harewood thing might have been charging-related (and subsequently found not to be worth bothering to charge the extra for), or it might have had something to do with numbers of trunk lines between exchanges.

@Pellseinydd -- nice find in the old dialling code books! The first one must have been around the very beginnings of STD, as letters did not seem to last long. The second one is different from the ones I remember, which had the figures grouped in threes; this was how I remembered them until PhONEday, after which codes for short local numbers were split after the "main exchange" code.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Ah, thanks for clarification. As the original mention of 2211 was in pip5678's post about director areas, I was thinking of Scotland Yard's WHI 1212.
The Special Faults phone in my GSC was 22221, and frequently received calls for the city's cop shop, which was 22222.
One day someone rang asking for PC Collins, so the phone was handed to an engineer whose name was Phil Collins, and happened to have the middle initial C.
Cue much confusion. ;D

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Just a small point - in telecoms, the term 'satellite' refers to an exchange in an LNS (Linked Numbering Scheme) where the other exchanges didn't dial a code to reach a particular exchange in the LNS. In an LNS there was normally an exchange designated as the 'main' exchange where the interlinking was originally done but things developed over the years. Hence Etwall did not become a satellite until around 1990 when it went digital and became part of the Burton-on-Trent LNS The subscribers became 'Burton-on-Trent' numbers by prefixing then with '73' the old code previously from the 'Main' exchange in the group of exchanges. This was possible with the relevant exchange having four digit numbers.

The smaller exchanges off a main' exchange were 'dependent' exchanges - mainly UAXs but larger ones could be Non-Director exchanges as in the case of Etwall.

You'd be surprised how things changed over the years. 'Burton-on-Trent' was originally a Linked Numbering Scheme including Tutbury and Swadlincote exchanges.

In those days they were both Non-Director exchanges - however in 1955 Tutbury was replaced by a UAX14 becoming 88 off Burton but moved back into the LNS when it became a K1 Crossbar satellite in the 0283 Linked Numbering Scheme.

Swadlincote (Non-Director) was later to become 87 off Burton (moving back to being a satellite in the 0283 LNS on 31st March 1976 as 'Burton-on-Trent numbers but still on 'Swadlincote' exchange which just became the 'engineering' name for the exchange.

A number of the exchanges in the Burton-on-Trent 0283 group had direct junctions to Derby Exchange - 0332 Group Switching Centre.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

The format originally used for Etwall - OBU 373 - was used up until the end of 1966 from the introduction of STD in December 1958. Not that short ;)

Then by March 1967 it was in the 'logical' format '0283 73'.

The change to 028 8373 seems to have come between January and March 1969 judging by the several hundred STD codebooks that I've got.

So was 028 8373 2190 a 'London' number ? :D

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

I may have totally misunderstood the question, but when did London numbers start 028?

I thought they were:
1st 01
2nd 071/081
3rd 0171/0181
currently 020

... 028 now having moved across the water to Northern Ireland.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Harewood was a small Unit Automatic eXchange No 13 - 167 lines in 1972 when its STD code was 0973 36. The 0973 XX group were on 8XX off Leeds Group Switching Centre. Thus Harewood was on level 836 off Leeds after about 1963 - previous it had been 826 off Leeds. However it also had another direct junction route rom Harrogate (0423) GSC where it was reached by dialling 930.

In 1975 Harewood was moved into the Leeds 'Linked Numbering Scheme' (STD code 0532) by prefixing the three digit UAX13 numbers with 886. Thus other exchanges in the 0532 group just dialled 886XXX and STD callers dialled 0532 886XXX. However the junctions to Harrogate would not be accessible as the code to Harrogate from Harewood might have 'clashed' with other codes within the 0532 LNS or would not be sufficient to carry all the traffic from the Leeds LNS so 'Harewood' was kept partially out of the LNS by having 'Harewood' subs dial the '9' to reach other exchanges in the LNS. However by 1988, Harewood is listed as a UAX13S - the 'satellite' version of the UAX13 Which looked at the initial two digits of those dialled and routed to the rest of the UAX13 for local calls and dropped the junction to the main exchange (Leeds 'main') otherwise it dropped the local exchange side out as all the digits had been pulsed out to Leeds. There would have been no need for the '9' at this time. Then on 15 March 1988, it went 'digital' with a System X concentrator and the 'subscribers' became 'Leeds' numbers - fully within the Linked Numbering Scheme.

The 'Harwewood' setup was not unique. Deeside exchange in the 0244 Chester Charge Group was originally Connah's Quay Non-Director was originally 0244 51 (level 51 off Chester). 'Deeside' was originally a mobile exchange on level 86 off Chester. Both dialled 9 to reach the GSC 'Chester/a' main exchange. There were at the time other exchanges in the 0244 Chester LNS. However when Connah's Quay, Deeside and another mobile Estuary on 69 off Chester were moved into the LNS now to be known as 'Deeside', they were in a separate group which needed to dial a 9 to reach Chester . This was because Connah's Quay had direct junctions to exchanges in adjacent charge such as Mold (0352) on level 85. The code could have clashed with other codes off Chester which was getting short of codes. Where I live with a Mold phone number I could dial either 91 or 95 to reach Deeside - 91 took me via Chester/A main exchange and the 95 took me over the direct junctions from Mold to 'Deeside'

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Thanks Pellseinydd for that comprehensive information about Harewood exchange!

In the Leeds telephone area where I used to live, Wakefield had the STD code 0924 and was obtained by dialling 97 from Leeds. Some other exchanges such as Dewsbury and Batley were also 0924, but were obtained by the single-digit code 9 from Leeds: these numbers began with 4 so the equipment would have recognised it as a Dewsbury or Batley number, rather than a Wakefield number, as soon as you dialled 94.

One day I wondered what would happen if you dialled 97 for Dewsbury instead of 9. I had occasion to ring a Dewsbury number and tried this, it worked and would have been charged the same, but was rather a pointless exercise as all I had done was dialled one more digit than necessary!

The Post Office often included a caveat in their Dialling Code Booklets: "Only codes which are authorised for use from the telephone you are using may be dialled". I reckon there were many cases where you could reach a local exchange using any of several different, though unauthorised, codes. This is all gone nowadays, everybody uses the national area codes.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

There were reports of people chaining multiple local codes and working their way across the country, for the price of a local call.

I remember in the public phonebox having to hold my finger under the Dialling Code on the board whilst mother dialled it slowly, then dialled the subscriber number. No point in writing the Dialling Code in the address book, as they varied depending on from where one was calling. We'd saved up twopences for the phone, and felt rather swizzed when they changed the phones to 5p.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

As I understand it, the trade-off was that the signal got weaker the more links you made, as the amplification used for long-distance calls was not employed for local calls.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Yes 198 kHz, 2211 was the special faults number in director area local exchanges I was familiar with. The GSC I worked at, in a director area, but served non-director areas too, ended in 1458. The special faults lines were used by other exchanges and external engineers to call in on ... and countless calls from wives and girfriends. Happy days!

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

I did read about a court case where someone was caught chain dialling, but the GPO lost the case because the judge said they hadn't done enough to safeguard the system.

I can't quite remember the details.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Ah! Ashton under Lyne according to my BT list of all the Group and Trunk Centre Fault Reporting(Special Faults) numbers but none of the other Manchester Director Area numbers are 2211 - in fact there aren't any 2211 or similar numbers in any of the Director Areas. The only 'standard' numbers were the ones on UAXs - 290 and 2190 as they were 'built in' to the rack wiring.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Right. So Etwall (6-figure numbers; the place name was kept with the change) would be correctly described as a satellite exchange of Burton-on-Trent, because you could call in at least one direction (both in this case) without a code; but when it was 4-figure, it and the Hoar Cross and Sudbury 3-figure exchanges would be correctly described as dependent exchanges of Burton-on-Trent, because you needed a code to call in both directions?

Interesting that the code to call Barton-Under-Needwood from Burton-on-Trent used to be 81; my memories of Etwall phone-related stuff only go back to the 1970s, by which time it was definitely 71.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

There were successful court cases over the years and the GPO did go to lengths to prevent the 'fraudulent use of the system'.

A Group Switching Centre would have a number of incoming routes which were restricted on what they could dial out to. For instance dialling from Chester (0244) to Wrexham was 93 which was barred from incoming STD calls. When it arrived in Wrexham, it wasn't possible to dial other GSCs by dialling 9X which were not within the Chester local call area such as 94 for Oswestry (0691) 30 odd miles from Chester or 96 for Whitchurch (0948) 20 plus miles from Chester. There was a way around sometimes by dialling a local code 81 from Wrexham to a dependent UAX such as say Ruabon UAX14, the dialling a 9 back to Wrexham GSC followed by the 93 for Oswestry. Ruabon of course was allowed access to Oswestry. But speech got fainter and fainter the further you went. Pre-STD, dependent UAXs also had 'call barring' on some of their outgoing junctions achieved by strapping in the junction relay set. Also both pre/after STD introduction, the outgoing 'local' access was limited by 'grading' on the incoming selectors.

To say the GPO didn't make the effort to prevent the fraud wasn't quite true - ill informed prosecuting lawyer! There certainly were successful cases, the big one in Bristol (?) where the engineer had 'modified' the exchange to get free calls by dialling a certain code which gave NU tone but you ignored that and just carried on dialling but meter pulses weren't sent back to the callers line meter. I believe it was held at the Old Bailey in London.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

[QUOTE=pip5678;1246433][QUOTE=198 kHz;1245390]Indeed they were. :)
Someone ^^ mentioned the futility of chain dialling when the transmission was so faint. It was, of course, but it was mainly "because you can". ;)
A good wheeze from a payphone was to dial out to a UAX, then "0" for the operator. This meant the lamp on the operator's board was white, and not red as it would be for a payphone. Hence one could ask for any number and it would be ticketed to the payphone. 8-)
The vertical marking banks (VMBs) were eventually re-strapped to prevent this.

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Thanks for that. I live on the edge of 881 and 236, and now I can see why :)

Re: The space in the STD codes
 

Sorry to detract too much from the OP but yes it was indeed Manchester Ashton, however there were plenty of Manchester director local exchanges with special fault numbers of 2211.