The seven Telephone Exchanges (and five former) in Guernsey & Alderney (01481) telephone area
The States of Guernsey gained a licence from the Post Office to run a telephone service on the last day of 1897. The system came into operation on 28 July 1898. By 1911, when its licence was renewed, there were six exchanges on the main island. The island had a unified numbering scheme, the names of its individual exchanges not being used until automation when Guernsey had one of only two systems in the British Isles with exchange names marked on dials (the other being Brighton). The first of Guernsey’s famous yellow kiosks was installed in 1951. Guernsey Telecoms was sold to Cable & Wireless and became Sure by Beyon Telecoms in 2007.
Alderney ATE
Alderney telephone exchange is in Longis Road, St Anne, Alderney GY9 3YB.
A ‘call office’ – public telephone – was opened in Alderney in 1927 using a single core telegraph cable, but this failed the following year.
The first proper exchange was a magneto switchboard, opened on 18 May 1949, linked to the Central exchange in St Peter Port by radio.
Its former dialling code was 048 182.
Photo required
Castel ATE
Castel telephone exchange (formerly known as Catel) is in Le Villocq, Route de Cobo, Castel, Guernsey GY5 7RZ.
It came into service as a non-director exchange in May 1955 to replace the former manual exchange in Hermes House.
The exchange name Catel was dropped in 1966.
Its former dialling code was 0481.
Photo required.
Castel former Manual Exchange
Castel’s last manual exchange was in Hermes House, Route de Cobo, Castel, Guernsey GY5 7RZ.
It was purpose-built as an exchange and supervisor’s residence and opened in August 1906. It replaced another cottage on the site, bought by the telephone department as an exchange in 1901. (Earlier attempts to set up a Castel exchange in private houses had failed: at one, opened in December 1898 in La Planque, the householder EJ Le Page was sued for breach of contract after calls went unanswered.) It closed in May 1955 when the current auto exchange opened. Later it became a telephone museum, which itself closed in 2011.
Photo courtesy of Sure by Beyon.
Central ATE
Guernsey’s Central telephone exchange forms part of Telecoms House, Upland Road, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 3AB.
It came into service on 30 April 1966, replacing the manual exchange in St John Street.
Phone numbers on the main island became 5-digit, under the name Guernsey and Subscriber Trunk Dialling to and from Jersey and the UK came into use.
Its former dialling code was 0481.
Photo required.
Central former Manual Exchange 1
The first Central exchange was in a former Presbyterian Chapel in Clifton, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1JR.
It opened on 28 July 1898 and housed the headquarters of the States Telephone Service.
A new multiple switchboard was installed on the first floor and opened on 3 October 1905. The exchange closed on 12 March 1931 when a central battery exchange opened in St John Street.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Adams.
Central former Manual Exchange 2
The second Central telephone exchange was in St John Street, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 2PZ.
It opened with a CB10 manual switchboard on 12 March 1931. Two weeks later, the invited audience, seen in the photo, heard the first official cross-Channel call to the UK via a new submarine cable to Dartmouth.
The exchange closed on 30 April 1966.
Photo courtesy of Sure by Beyon.
Herm (former) ATE
We do not know the location of Herm telephone exchange – nor indeed if one still exists.
The first exchange installed here – around 1950 – was also the first automatic exchange in the Bailiwick.
Photo required.
St Martin ATE
St Martin exchange is in Grande Rue, St Martin, Guernsey GY4 6LQ
It came into service as a non-director exchange in May 1955 to replace a former manual magneto exchange. The exchange name was dropped in 1966.
Its former dialling code was 0481.
Photo required.
St Peter ATE
The St Peter telephone exchange is in Route de Longfrie, St Pierre du Bois, Guernsey GY7 9RX.
It came into service around 1960 to replace the manual exchange in Ariel Cottage. The exchange name was dropped in 1966.
Its former dialling code was 0481.
Photo required.
St Peter former Manual Exchange
The former St Peter manual telephone exchange was in Ariel Cottage, Rue Des Brehauts, St Pierre Du Bois GY7 9BZ.
It was purpose-built around 1905 to house a magneto switchboard and the family of the supervisor Mrs Lizzie Brouard. It  replaced an earlier manual exchange. It also took over lines from the former Forest manual exchange.
It closed at automation around 1960.
Photo courtesy of Tony Bellows.
St Sampson ATE
The St Sampson exchange is in New Road, St Sampson’s, Guernsey GY2 4QD
It came into service around 1960 to replace a manual exchange opened around 1901 in Brock Road, St Sampson, itself replacing an exchange in a private house.
The exchange name was dropped in 1966.
Its former dialling code was 0481.
Photo required.
Sark ATE
The Sark telephone exchange is in La Maisonette, Le Clos du Manoir, Rue Lucas, Sark GY9 0SG
The telephone service reached Sark via a telegraph cable in May 1915, in the form of a public phone in the post office. Later a magneto exchange was installed.
Its former dialling code was 048 183.
Photo required.
Former Guernsey Telephone Exchanges
- Forest Manual ExchangeThe former Forest manual exchange was opened around 1899. It closed when lines were transferred to St Peter’s manual exchange. We don’t know its location.
- St Saviour's Manual ExchangeThe former St Saviour’s manual exchange was at the home of Nico Falla near the church in St Saviour’s. It opened in June 1901 and closed in March 1924 when the last of Mr Falla’s ten daughters got married. Lines were transferred to the St Peter manual exchange.