The eighteen BT Telephone Exchanges (and seven former) in the Southampton (023-8) telephone area
The Southampton group has gone through a number of STD code changes over the years.
The Southampton inner ring exchanges originally had the STD code of 0703, whilst the outer ring exchanges had the STD code of 0421.
In the 1980s the two area were all given the 0703Â which was then changed to 01703 on PHONEday in April 1995.
The last number change was in April 2000 when Southampton numbers changed from 01703 xxxxxx to 023 80xx xxxx.
The codes 023 -81, 023-82, 023-92, 023-93 and 023-94 have also been introduced in latter years.
Ashurst ATE
Bassett ATE
Blackfield former ATE
Bursledon ATE
Bursledon former ATE
Cadnam ATE
Chandlers Ford ATE
Eastleigh ATE
Fair Oak ATE
Fawley ATE
The current Fawley exchange opened as a Crossbar exchange in 1973, a few months after Hythe. Fawley had six digit numbers in the 89xxxx range. It replaced the former Blackfield UAX14 and the former Fawley UAX13. On changeover day Blackfield xxxx numbers were prefixed with 89 to become Fawley 89xxxx and Fawley xxx numbers were prefixed with 891 to become Fawley 891xxx. The former dialling codes of 042 125 for Blackfield and 042 134 for Fawley were discontinued and the new Fawley exchange adopted the 070 3 code of the Southampton inner ring.
Fawley former ATE
The exchange was closed in 1973 and replaced by a new Crossbar exchange, also called Fawley but actually located in the nearby village of Holbury. On changeover day the old Fawley xxx numbers were prefixed with 891 to become Fawley 891xxx numbers.
Hamble ATE
Hamble former ATE
Hampton ATE
Hythe ATE
Hythe ATE was built as a UAX14 in 1941. In the late 1960’s the exchange reached full capacity and some MNDX mobile caravans were installed in the exchange yard to provide additional capacity. An extension was added to the rear of the building and a Crossbar exchange installed. It was the first Crossbar exchange to be installed in the former Southampton Telephone Area. At the same time, a 24-channel PCM system was provided to carry the junction circuits back to the group switching centre at Southampton.
The Crossbar exchange opened in 1973 and had six digit numbers in the 84xxxx range. On changeover day Hythe xxxx numbers were prefixed with 84 to become Hythe 84xxxx. At the same time the former dialling code changed from 042 124 to 070 3. Hythe was the first of the Southampton outer ring exchanges to adopt the Southampton inner ring code.
Lyndhurst ATE
Moorhill ATE
Ower former ATE
The exchange closed in the early 1980’s and it’s subscribers were transferred to the adjacent Cadnam TXE2 exchange.
Rownhams ATE
Shirley ATE
Southampton ATE
The current Southampton ATE building was opened in 1953 and a buff brick extension added in 1980 to accommodate a TXE4 replacement. It was built on the site of the former Hippodrome Theatre which had already been purchased by the GPO in 1939 for a future extension of the original exchange. This was a very opportune move as the original exchange was destroyed by enemy bombing in 1940 during WWII, and a temporary exchange built in the basement of a nearby entertainment venue called The Coliseum. The upper floors of The Coliseum were used as a temporary postal sorting office during the war years, as in those days The GPO ran both the postal and telephone services.
Testwood former Mobile Relief Exchange
In the mid 1970’s Totton ATE ran out of spare capacity when a large housing estate and an industrial estate were built to the north of the town. At the time Totton ATE was a four digit exchange and all of the available numbering range had been used. To get round this problem Totton ATE had to be converted to a six digit exchange to provide additional numbering capacity. While Totton ATE was being extended and reconfigured as a six digit unit, a temporary mobile exchange was installed in the Totton ATE yard to provide service to new customers.
The extension to Totton ATE was completed in 1979 and the temporary Testwood ATE closed. On changeover day, Totton xxxx numbers became Totton 86xxxx numbers and Testwood xxxx numbers became Totton 87xxxx numbers. The Totton dialling code also changed from 042 16 to 070 3. Later on during the 1980’s the other exchanges in the Southampton outer ring were gradually converted to six digit numbering and their 0421 STD codes changed to 0703.
The former dialling code for this exchange was 042 17.
Totton ATE
Totton ATE
The original 1930’s automatic exchange at Totton was housed in a single storey red brick pitched roof building at the RH end of the present site. In 1959 the exchange was extended with a straw coloured brick extension with a tile covered upper storey. The new extension contained the MDF and Strowger equipment racks, while the old building housed the power plant, offices and welfare accommodation.
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s most medium and large Strowger exchanges were given substantial building extensions to house TXE4 replacements. As Totton ATE was on a compact site, there was no room to build a large extension and so it was decided to demolish the old 1930’s building and replace that with the TXE4 extension building. This left the exchange without a power plant and welfare accommodation. To get around this problem the domestic dwelling next to the LH end of the exchange was purchased and a small corridor built, connecting it to the exchange building. The former garden was used to provide a new driveway into the exchange and the house used for welfare accommodation and offices. The power plant was replaced by temporary units in mobile caravans while the extension was being built.
West End former ATE
The former West End Telephone Exchange is located in High Street, West End, Southampton SO30 3DS and served West End, part of Harefield and the surrounding area. It was built in 1939, opened in 1940/1, and housed a Strowger exchange.
Woolston ATE
