Bletchley Park is where they cracked all of the Enigma codes during World War II. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything about it because they make you sign the Official Secrets Act before you go inside, and then wipe all your memories when you come out (seriously). I can’t even remember who I am now.
Ha ha… only joking, it’s a big attraction now so you don’t have to worry – they even let Germans in. Seventy years ago they would have had to slip in under cover of darkness, now they get a guidebook and a map.
If you know anything about Bletchley before you arrive then you will probably walk up to the front door expecting to see that impressive old mansion. But what you actually see are a lot of modern-looking flat buildings – a bit like an industrial business park. The first few rooms are very bland looking, but stick with it because they contain a lot of interesting introductory material.
You can see some old black-and-white photos of how it used to look during the war and some original ticker tapes stamped with “Top Secret” and covered in red pen scrawl. There are even a few letters from Churchill enquiring about the latest intercepts.
There is lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of reading to do (and that is not an exaggeration!), about how the machines were captured, how the codes were cracked, and which military operations directly benefited from the work. It goes into amazing detail about everything – one minute you’re looking at a string of random letters and numbers on a scrap of paper, then they feed it through the machine and turn it into troop movements and tank formations in northern France.
If the movies gave you the impression that we only stole one Enigma machine then prepare for a surprise – they’ve got a whole cabinet full of them. They even do an autopsy on one of them with wiring diagrams, showing how the keyboard worked the wheels – it’s all extremely detailed stuff. They also give you the history of Colossus – the world’s first large-scale computer (an achievement later claimed by the Americans, but actually invented by us in secret).
After that comes a little exhibition about Alan Turing. If you explore all of the huts outside then you will eventually come across his original office with his messy desk overflowing with paperwork and pens. Many of the other huts have been redecorated to look exactly how they were during the war, complete with 1940s fag packets and hats and coats hanging on the hook. They project a few movies onto the walls and play some typewriter clacks and chatter out of the speakers as well, to bring the place alive a bit.
The rest of the grounds reminded me of a Boy’s Own Adventure. You can walk round the back of the house and see the gate and sentry box where the dispatch riders roared in to collect the daily intercepts. You can have a snoop around the garages as well, filled with period bikes and vintage cars. They even have a few cycle sheds filled with rusty old pushbikes with bells and baskets on the front.
It’s not until you get halfway round the campus that you’ll finally see the pretty lake and famous brown brick mansion beyond. The mansion is probably the least interesting of all the buildings, which is a bit weird, because there’s not a lot to actually look at inside – just a very nice-looking library and a few function rooms laid out with tables and chairs.
So is Bletchley worth a visit? That all depends on whether you like the war. This place is all about the information boards. If you can’t be bothered to read those then it’s hardly worth going.
As for the town centre… save yourself an hour and give it a miss. There’s absolutely nothing to see in Bletchley itself. It’s just a lot of peeling billboards, boarded-up windows and bin bags on the pavement. But now that I come to think of it, it was probably the perfect place to try and hide a top-secret facility because no one was going to bother bombing Bletchley – it looks like it’s already been bombed!
If you enjoy this then try Churchill War Rooms; Imperial War Museum and RAF Museum. There’s another Enigma machine on show at the Science Museum, along with some more information about the earliest computers
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon
Your comments and questions
Dave G I live in Bletchely and love the reference to not worth bombing... It is worth bombing so they can at least build something better! A good write up especially regarding Information Boards. I knew a lot about the Enigma and went to Bletchley Park before the reconstruction and had full hands on with the Enigma that was nicked a few years ago. So if you don't know much about BP and can't be bothered with reading Information Boards, you're right - not worth going. Even worse is the separate charge for access to the Computer Museum. As mentioned earlier when I went before, the Computer Museum was part of BP but not no so it doesn't get any of the lottery funding BP got. Cheers Dave G
Pat We'll be in London for a week and would love to visit Bletchley Park to admire and appreciate the amazing work of the WWII decoders. Is it difficult to get there (our hotel is close to Baker St. Station, no car) and is it worthwhile? We've been reading their reviews online and they aren't that strong, citing poor signage and confusing tour details.
Craig Hi Pat. I think it's worth a visit... but only if you're already interested in the subject. You're basically going to be doing loads and loads of reading all day. If you don't think you'll be interested in reading all the information boards then there's not much reason to go because there isn't anything 'spectacular' to see. The mansion is nice enough, but other than that the most impressive things on display are Alan Turings' old office and the Enigma machines. The information boards go into a huge amount of detail. The train journey can be anything from 35 to 50 minutes, depending on which train you get from Euston. Its easy enough getting to Euston from Baker Street - just get the 30 or 205 bus straight down the Marylebone Road. The tube would be a bit of a hassle because you'd have to change trains, so I would stick with the bus (it's not very far). The entire trip (including the train there and back) shouldn't take more than 5 hours.
Pat Thank you. I am very interested in how the decoding machines worked, and thoroughly enjoy listening to details about them on documentaries shown in the US. Both my dad and my husband's dad trained in England and served in WWII and until their deaths never said one word about the war. So fascinating to me.
Craig Well if you're interested in how the Enigma machines worked then there's nowhere better... they practically do an autopsy on one. They show you the wiring diagrams, the dials, how the key presses worked the wheels, and they use films, photos and reminiscences from the people who worked there. And they do all of that for the Lorenz machine and Bombe machine as well.
Pat Perfect. I am so excited about this. Thank you for your response, especially about the bus being faster (and cheaper) than changing trains to get to Euston.
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