undercover science... Science Year special offer
visit the home of ww2 codebreaking
This country house may look like the set from a genteel tv murder-mystery, but during World War 2, it was the nerve centre for something FAR more dramatic and important…
As hundreds of thousands of men across Europe fought against the advancing threat of the Nazis, Bletchley Park was the secret countryside location for an army of Allied codebreakers. Their job was to work around the clock, intercepting and decrypting the German commanders’ radio signals.
Against the odds, the Bletchley Park staff managed to crack the enemy's 'Enigma' code using a machine called a 'Bombe' that was designed specially for the task. And the world's first programmable computer, Colossus, was built at Bletchley Park to speed up the decryption process and save lives.
Historians believe that the work of the codebreakers shortened the war by two years.
take a step back in time
Bletchley Park has now thrown its doors open to visitors, and has many authentic items on display from the war years, plus replicas of the Colossus and 'Bombe' machines.
Many exhibitor groups make use of the facilities at the Park to meet and exhibit artefacts illustrating anything from aircraft recovery to signals technology, military uniforms and memorabilia. There are even occasionally World War 2 re-enactments.
During the war, 12,000 people worked in and around Bletchley Park yet it remained a secret until the 1970s. How long do you think you could keep a secret?
Read all about it at http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk
special offer
Specially for Science Year, Bletchley Park are offering ONE FREE CHILD ADMISSION for every adult ticket purchased. Valid until Dec 3rd 2002.
If you’d like to sign up for your tickets, click here.
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