The eight (and four former) BT Telephone Exchanges in the Romford (01708) telephone area
Hornchurch ATE
Hornchurch former ATE
Ingrebourne ATE
Purfleet ATE
Rainham ATE
ID: LNRAI. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Romford ATE
South Ockendon ATE
South Ockendon telephone exchange is located in Darenth Lane, South Ockendon RM15 5LH.
The telephone codes for this exchange are 01708-67 and 01708-85.
The former dialling code for this exchange was 040 25.
ID: LNSOK. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Stapleford ATE
Stapleford Telephone Exchange is located in Stapleford Road, Stapleford Tawney, Romford RM4 1RP and serves Stapleford Abbotts and Stapleford Tawney.
The telephone code for this exchange is 01708-68.
The former dialling code for this exchange was 040 28.
ID: LNSFD. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Stapleford former ATE #2
The second former Stapleford Telephone Exchange was located on the same site as the current exchange in Stapleford Road, Stapleford Tawney, Romford RM4 1RP. It opened in 1956 and served Stapleford Abbotts and Stapleford Tawney.
Unusually, it was a condition of planning approval that the old exchange building was removed once the new exchange was commissioned in 1992. Both the B1 type timber building and the Strowger equipment were dismantled and brought to Avoncroft Museum in 1993 where the Strowger exchange is still in use to this day.
The former dialling code for this exchange was 040 28.
ID: LNSFD.
Stapleford former ATE #1
The first former Stapleford automatic exchange stood on the opposite side of Stapleford Road to, and about 100 metres south of, the current exchange in Stapleford Tawney, Romford RM4 1RP .
It came into service on 18 August 1930, the first RAX5 in the London area. It was converted to a Bypath 4R (uniselector) exchange in 1933, and again to a UAX12 on 6 October 1937. It closed in 1956 and no trace of it remains today.
It did not have a national dialling code.
Photo (1938) courtesy of BT Archives.
Upminster ATE
Upminster Telephone Exchange is located in St Marys Lane, Upminster RM14 3HL and serves Upminster and the surrounding area. In 1970 Upminster was the last manual exchange in London to switch over to automatic working.
The telephone codes for this exchange are 01708-2 and 01708-64.
ID: LNUPM. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Upminster former ATE
The former Upminster Telephone Exchange was located in St Marys Lane, Upminster RM14 3BT and served Upminster and the surrounding area.
The exchange was built in 1929, replacing the first exchange in Station Road, Upminster.
The telephone codes for this exchange were 01708-2 and 01708-64.
The former dialling code for this exchange was 040 22.
ID: LNUPM. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.