Re: Phone # and Postal Code System Information

Ulla Sandberg wrote:
-> 
-> I answered your request with information about Sweden.
-> Three different people 
-> have mailed me thanking me for sending it out on the list since they
-> found the information most interesting. 
-> 

Well, in that case, let me repeat my message in this forum, in the hope that
others will be interested.

-- 
Stephen R. E. Turner
  Stochastic Networks Group, Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge
  e-mail: sret1@cam.ac.uk  WWW: http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/home.html

==============================================================================
UK:

Telephone numbers look like (01223) 337955 except in big cities which have
one fewer digit in the code and one more in the number, and the number is
split 3/4 thus: (0171) 853 3869. Cities are 01n1 for 3 <= n <= 8, and 011n
for 3 <= n <= 7. Non-geographical numbers (mobile phones, free numbers etc.)
start 0 but not 01 and have 4 numbers in the code: e.g. (0800) 123456 would
be a free call (from inland). The international code for the UK is 44 and
the initial 0 is omitted, so in an international context those numbers should
be written +44 223 337955 etc.

Post codes consist of two letters for the town followed by one or two digits
for the area of the town, followed by white space (the Post Office request at
least two spaces) followed by one more digit and two more letters. All the
letters are in upper case. The post code should be written on a line on its
own, or separated by at least 6 spaces from the county name if there aren't
enough lines. The Post Office would like people to write the post code on the
last line even after the country name, but they're dreaming if they think
that's going to happen.  The county is omitted for county towns and certain
other large towns. (Don't confuse county and country in that paragraph). The
town name is written in capitals.

So here are some sample addresses:

Fred Smith,
  109 Spilsby Road,
  Skirbeck,          (village)
  BOSTON,            (postal town)
  Lincs.             (short for Lincolnshire; the county)
  PE21  9PE          (Boston is in the Peterborough post code area)

Stephen Turner,
  16 Mill Lane,
  CAMBRIDGE        (Cambridgeshire omitted)
  CB2  1SB

One other thing you might want to know is whether countries put the number
of the house before or after the street name. It's after in most European
countries (e.g. Joristraat 53, not 53 Joristraat).

Received on Thursday, 11 January 1996 05:17:27 UTC