The fourteen BT Telephone Exchanges (and one former) in the Saxmundham (01728) telephone area
Aldeburgh ATE
Aldeburgh telephone exchange is at 18 Alde Lane, Aldeburgh IP15 5DZ and also covers Thorpeness. It came into service in 1965, replacing a manual telephone exchange which had been housed in a repeater station at 5 Hertford Place since its predecessor (opened about 1908) had been destroyed in an air raid on 15 December 1942. It was converted to digital working c 1989.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-45.
Its former dialling code was 072 885.
ID: EAABR. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Badingham ATE
Badingham telephone exchange is in Low Street, Badingham, Woodbridge IP13 8JS and also serves Dennington, Cransford and part of Bruisyard.
The first exchange here came into service on 14 October 1929 as an RAX5, in an area previously served in part by Framlingham exchange. It was rebuilt as a UAX in 1959/60 and converted from Strowger to digital working in around 1994.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-638.
Its former dialling code was 072 875.
ID: EABAD. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Debenham ATE
Debenham telephone exchange is in Cross Green, Debenham, Stowmarket IP14 6RW and also serves Winston, Kenton, Aspall and part of Framsden.
The first auto exchange here was an RAX5 which came into service in about 1932, replacing a manual exchange opened in the post office around 1922. It became a UAX in 1951. The current exchange came into service in 1979 when numbers became six-digit.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-86.
Its former dialling code was 072 886.
ID: EADEB. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Debenham former ATE
The former Debenham telephone exchange is in Gracechurch Street, Debenham, Stowmarket IP14 6RE and also served Winston, Kenton, Aspall and part of Framsden.
The first auto exchange here was an RAX5 which came into service in about 1932, replacing a manual exchange opened in the post office around 1922. It became a UAX in 1951.
Its former dialling code was 072 886.
ID: EADEB. Photo courtesy of Rightmove.
Earl Soham ATE
Earl Soham telephone exchange is in Low Road, Earl Soham, Woodbridge IP13 7RN and also serves Ashfield, Brandeston, Cretingham and Saxtead Green.
The first auto exchange here was an RAX5 which came into service on 3 November 1930 replacing a manual exchange opened in the post office on 14 April 1924. It was rebuilt as a UAX in 1949 and converted to digital working in 1991.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-685.
Its former dialling code was 072 882.
ID: EAELS. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
The building on the left is the current exchange with the former exchange building on the right.
Framlingham ATE
Framlingham telephone exchange is in Fore Street, Framlingham, Woodbridge IP13 9DF and also serves Kettleburgh and Parham.
It came into service on 1 March 1961 as 3-digit auto exchange, replacing a manual exchange which opened in the post office around 1908 and moved to Fore Street in 1926. All numbers were prefixed with 723 on conversion to electronic working in around 1972.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-72.
Its former dialling code was 072 872.
ID: EAFML. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Leiston ATE
Leiston telephone exchange is in High Street, Leiston IP16 4BX and also covers Theberton, Sizewell, Eastbridge, Knoddishall and Aldringham.
The first auto exchange came into service in around 1965, replacing a manual exchange opened in about 1908. Three-digit numbers were prefixed with 830 on conversion to electronic working around 1971.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-83.
Its former dialling code was 072 883.
ID: EALTN. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Peasenhall ATE
Peasenhall telephone exchange is in The Causeway, Peasenhall, Saxmundham IP17 2HU and also serves Sibton.
The first exchange here came into service as a UAX12 in 1935/6 in an area previously covered in part by Yoxford exchange. (The Yoxford 11 rural party line served a dozen subscribers in Peasenhall from 1923 to 1935.)Â It was converted from Strowger to digital working around 1994.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-660.
Its former dialling code was 072 879.
ID: EAPEA. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Rendham ATE
Rendham telephone exchange is in Bruisyard Road, Rendham, Saxmundham IP17 2AG and also serves Bruisyard, Sweffling and Great Glemham.
An automatic exchange came into service here in May 1929 as the first RAX5 in East Anglia, replacing a manual exchange opened in the post office around 1923. It was rebuilt as a UAX around 1955 and to digital working in the mid-1990s.
The principal telephone codes for this exchange are 01728-663 and 01728-664.
Its former dialling code was 072 878.
ID: EAREN. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Saxmundham ATE
Saxmundham telephone exchange is located behind the former post office in Street Farm Road, Saxmundham IP17 1AL and also serves Stratford St Andrew, Kelsale, Benhall, Sternfield and Carlton.
It came into service in about 1954, replacing a manual exchange first opened in about 1908.
The building was designed by Thomas Winterburn, a post office architect associated with the Festival of Britain movement.
It was converted from Strowger to digital working in September 1989.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-60.
Its former dialling code was 0728.
ID: EASXM. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Snape ATE
Snape telephone exchange is in Church Road, Snape, Saxmundham IP17 1SX and also covers Tunstall, Blaxhall, Friston and Iken.
The first exchange here was an RAX5 which came into service about 1932 in an area previously served by at least one line from Saxmundham exchange. It was upgraded to UAX about 1937.
The telephone codes for this exchange include 01728-687, 01728-688 and 01728-689.
Its former dialling code was 072 888.
ID: EASNA. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Westleton ATE
Westleton telephone exchange is in The Hill, Westleton, Saxmundham IP17 3AN and also covers Dunwich, Minsmere and Middleton.
A UAX12 came into service here in about 1936. It replaced a manual exchange opened in the post office eight years earlier (although one subscriber in Dunwich had a line from Leiston exchange in 1911). It was converted to digital working in the mid-1990s.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-648.
Its former dialling code was 072 873.
ID: EAWST. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Wickham Market ATE
Wickham Market telephone exchange is in Border Cot Lane, Wickham Market. Woodbridge IP13 0RE and also covers Easton, Letheringham, Hacheston, Campsea Ashe, Great Glemham and Marlesford.
The original exchange, to the left of  the site, came into service around 1938 as a UAX13, replacing a manual exchange opened about 1909. The current exchange came into use around 1974 when existing numbers were prefixed with 746.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-74
Its former dialling code was 072 874.
ID: EAWMK. Photo courtesy of Simon Cowper-Smith.
Worlingworth ATE
Worlingworth telephone exchange is in Shop Street, Worlingworth, Woodbridge IP13 7HX and also serves Southolt, Athelington, Bedfield, Tannington and part of Bedingfield.
The first exchange here opened as an RAX5 in late 1929. It was rebuilt as a UAX in 1957/8 and converted from Strowger to digital working in April 1993.
The principal telephone codes for this exchange are 01728-627 and 01728-628.
Its former dialling code was 072 876.
ID: EAWOR. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Yoxford ATE
Yoxford telephone exchange is in High Street, Yoxford, Saxmundham IP17 3EU and also serves Sibton Green and Darsham.
It came into service in about 1936 as a UAX12. It replaced a manual exchange opened in the post office in 1923, the area having previously been served in part by Saxmundham exchange. It was converted from Strowger to digital working around 1993.
The principal telephone code for this exchange is 01728-668.
Its former dialling code was 072 877.
ID: EAYOX. Photo courtesy of John Cranston.
Acknowledgment:
The photographs and information on this page has been generously provided by John Cranston & Simon Cowper-Smith with the help of
BT Archives, Eric G Clayton, Terry Mallett, and Alan Mortram among many others.