Timeline of London Director Area Dialling Codes

  • 1927 The London Director Area began in London Holborn Tandem at 270 High Holborn was the first director exchange to open
  • 1965 All Figure Numbering (AFN) was introducedInstead of dialling the first three letters of the exchange name, subscribers would dial a 3 digit number instead
  • 1990 London 01 area code changedInner London numbers changed to 071 and Outer London numbers changed to 081.
  • 1995 London 071 and 081 area codes changed to include an extra 1Inner London numbers changed to 0171 and Outer London numbers changed to 0181.
  • 2000 London 0171 and 0181 area codes changed to 020Inner London numbers were changed to 020-7 and Outer London numbers were changed to 020-8