The Development of Telecoms - London South West Region

The area lies almost entirely in Surrey, extending southwards from the River Thames to the slopes of the North Downs. Its 292 square miles of country have many beauty spots and notable among the places of interest are Hampton Court Palace, Kew Gardens and Richmond Park.

Associated with this area are diverse sporting events which command world-wide interest – Lawn Tennis Championships (Wimbledon); Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (Putney); Royal Horse Show (Richmond) and the Derby (Epsom).

Of the 55 exchanges, 24 are automatic. There are 166,000 exchange lines (of which 12,000 are shared service) and 223,000 stations. Over 1,088,000 miles of wire underground and 16,000 miles overhead exist. The total staff of all grades exceeds 4,700.