8 Hampden Road

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Permalink Reply by John D on June 30, 2011 at 20:32

MOUntview was changed to the prefix 340 in about 1968 when the Post Office went to all-figure numbers

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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on June 30, 2011 at 21:22

Was a bit earlier John ..  STD or Standard Trunk Dialling was introduced in 1966 - before that it was only possible to directly dial London & surrounding area numbers:

 

Exchanges around the Harringay area

(8)520 was previously COPpermill  (Walthamstow)

(8)524 was previously LARkswood (Chingford)

(8)800 was previously STAmford Hill

(8)802 was previously LATimer

(8)806 was previously CLApton

(8)808 was previously TOTtenham

(8)883 was previously MUSwell Hill

(8)886 was previously PALmers Green

(8)888 was previously BOWes Park

 

BTW, I think MOUntview became 01-348 ?? .. 340 is a later addition, like 801 and 889

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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on July 3, 2011 at 12:51

BTW, if want to hear what is was like to make a trunk call pre-1966 - listen here: from minute 08:18

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b0129500

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Permalink Reply by Anette on July 3, 2011 at 15:55

Love the old shop front. I guess wishing they'd keep it is coompletely unrealistic. And thanks for the info Stephen, love that stuff. Much more fun than trains... ;D

 

Does anyone know what's happening to these premises? Not another betting shop...?

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Permalink Reply by Jeremyb on July 8, 2011 at 9:49

Further to StpehenBin's message, when we had the phone installed in the 1960s (in Wood Green), our phone number was MULberry 1376. The engineer told us that the BOWes Park numbers had all been allocated so a new series had been started. He said that the new name came from a mulberry tree in the gardens next to the GPO switching centre offices at the junction of Bounds Green Road/High Road Wood Green.. not sure if this was true or not but it makes a good story! These gardens belong to Morum House Surgery now. Later MULberry became 889 as Stephen says..

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Permalink Reply by Joe Bailey on July 8, 2011 at 10:09

Stephen,

 

A minor correction to your list.

 

(8)883 was and is indeed for the Muswell Hill area, but the Exchange name was and is TUDor (TUD dial's 883 on an old dial phone, interestingly)...

 

Being born and raised in Muzzers, where my folks have lived since just after the STD switchover, I still have an old GPO dial phone with our telephone number printed, showing that TUDor was indeed the exchange name. Unfortunately, I can't post a photo, as they still have the same number... However, this link from MIT shows a list of all London exchanges. I think it's mostly correct: http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/archives/history/dialing-history  

 

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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on July 8, 2011 at 23:05

Thanks for that Joe B - My memory seems to be slowly failing me.. I had it all stored in there... :o)

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