1913 LONDON TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

This example from the capital’s phone book the year before the start of the First World War includes private numbers alongside local businesses as well as small adverts for a local garage

Columns

A two- column layout, which was first introduced in 1900.

Name and number berer

The exchange nam me and subscriber’s number. The cover ag ge is much larger than n central London, including parts of tht e surrounding count ie s.

Subscriber

The name of the business or personal subscriber. Usually only the forename(s) ) or initial(s) is given, oro sometimes just a title e, Miss or Capt, for example. Businesses usually include a description of the trade or profession n.

Address

The address of the subscriber

Advertisement

A column-width advertisement for local businesses; usually on the same or adjacent page to the alphabetical listing.