020

Approximate coverage of 020 dialling code (in red), compared to Greater London boundary (black line)

020 is the dialling code for most of Greater London in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Coverage

The code serves an area similar to Greater London, formerly known as the London Director Area. Some outer districts are covered by sections of adjacent codes and in some places the 020 code extends beyond the Greater London boundary. The code covers an area larger than the London postal district.

[edit] Areas completely covered by 020

The City of London and the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth and the City of Westminster are more or less completely covered by the code.

[edit] Areas in Greater London covered by other codes

† = outside Greater London

[edit] Areas outside Greater London covered by 020

[edit] Sub ranges

With the introduction of the (020) area code, telephone numbers were changed from 7-digits (xxx-xxxx) to 8-digits (xxxx-xxxx) with the following sub-ranges:

[edit] Allocation

59% of numbers within the 020 code are allocated to BT.^[1]

[edit] History

From 1922 the three-character digit sub-codes each corresponded to one area and were represented by letters by way of a mnemonic. The first exchange to become part of the London Director telephone system was Holborn. The numbers were written as ABBey 1234 and WIMbledon 1234. The system of mnemonics was withdrawn with the change to all-figure dialling in 1966.

The STD code 01 was introduced in 1959, at the introduction of Subscriber Trunk Dialling, although the service was only introduced at local exchanges between 1961, and 1964. For the next 30 years 01 would become synonymous with the capital, particularly through phone numbers given by radio and television programmes.

Until May 1990 the 01 code covered the same area as the current 020 code, and the three digits after the code indicated the geographic area where the number was located, e.g. 01-222 1234 was in Westminster, 01-946 1234 in Wimbledon, successors to the ABBey and WIMbledon examples above. More than one sub-code was usually overlaid for each area so all Wimbledon numbers did not necessarily begin 01-946. In May 1990 01 was divided between 071 (Inner London) and 081 (Outer London), changed in 1995 to 0171 and 0181. 020 replaced 0171 and 0181 on 22 April 2000 after a period of dual-running that began 1 June 1999: 0171-xxx xxxx numbers changed to (020) 7xxx xxxx, and 0181-xxx xxxx changed to (020) 8xxx xxxx.

As a result of the many changes, there is now a widespread belief that 0207 and 0208 are the dialling codes for parts of London. In fact, this belief is false — see UK telephone code misconceptions.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• List of exchanges in 1966