Today I visited Bletchley Park which, between 1939 & 1945, was Britain’s most secret location. This was where, during World War 2, enemy codes were broken and Nazi Germany’s “unbreakable” cypher machine Enigma was cracked. The work at Bletchley was crucial to Allied war effort, saved many lives, and by all accounts shortened the war by 2-4 years.
I first visited Bletchley 2 years ago and was very impressed – everyone was very welcoming, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the place and its history. Today I was astounded! The welcome, knowledge and enthusiasm were still there; but there was more – much more.
The Bletchley Park Trust has just completed the first phase of a restoration programme that has seen the virtually derelict Codebreaking Huts restored and fitted out with artefacts, displays and projections that really do take the visitor back in time.
There are information and display boards with explanations, photographs and quotes at key locations throughout the site; strategically placed loudspeakers provide an authentic acoustic backdrop, and all this augmented by a quite brilliant Multimedia iTouch Guide with commentary, photos, film clips, stories, puzzles - all for both adults and children.
Add to this a reconstructed and fully operational Bombe Machine (the Bletchley Guide who explained this was quite brilliant), Enigma machines, the enigmatic sounding Station X, vehicles, kit and equipment of the period, and (as if that’s not enough) a display dedicated to the 2014 movie The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch as one Alan Turing with scenes filmed on location at Bletchley – well, enough said, a visit is a must!
I first visited Bletchley 2 years ago and was very impressed – everyone was very welcoming, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the place and its history. Today I was astounded! The welcome, knowledge and enthusiasm were still there; but there was more – much more.
The Bletchley Park Trust has just completed the first phase of a restoration programme that has seen the virtually derelict Codebreaking Huts restored and fitted out with artefacts, displays and projections that really do take the visitor back in time.
There are information and display boards with explanations, photographs and quotes at key locations throughout the site; strategically placed loudspeakers provide an authentic acoustic backdrop, and all this augmented by a quite brilliant Multimedia iTouch Guide with commentary, photos, film clips, stories, puzzles - all for both adults and children.
Add to this a reconstructed and fully operational Bombe Machine (the Bletchley Guide who explained this was quite brilliant), Enigma machines, the enigmatic sounding Station X, vehicles, kit and equipment of the period, and (as if that’s not enough) a display dedicated to the 2014 movie The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch as one Alan Turing with scenes filmed on location at Bletchley – well, enough said, a visit is a must!
RSS Feed
