Bletchley Park: Code Breaking

The name Bletchley Park is synonymous with code-breaking glory by the British during World War II. Located about 30 minutes walk from the Grand Union canal in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire is a piece of modern war history that many overlook. It’s here that genius mathematician Alan Turing and his team broke the code of the Nazis which helped win the war.  

Inside this vast estate you will find a mansion that was built circa 1883. With a staggering 28 bedrooms plus the various outbuildings called Huts, there was enough accommodation to house the eventual 9000 personnel who worked here at the peak of the war, 75% of whom were women. There’s been a mansion on this site since the late 18th century but the original was demolished to make way for this new one. It was sold in 1938 and almost became a housing estate but was bought by the most unlikely character, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair using his own money to buy the entire site because the government couldn’t afford it….back then £6000, in today’s money around £400k.

The purchase was strategic should Britain ever face the prospect of war again so it could be put to use as a code breaking site. It’s central location combined with convenient rail links to Cambridge and Oxford whose respective universities were expected to supply the code breaking experts, plus access to the high-volume communication links at repeater stations at nearby Fenny Stratford, made it the perfect spot to house a code breaking site should the need arise. 

 

A visit to Bletchley Park will set you back £21 for an annual pass. If you’re the geeky type, then this place is paradise and probably worth the steep entry price as there is plenty to keep even the most dedicated enthusiast interested for repeat visits. But as a boater who has only just grasped the concept of 12v electrics, much of what is located here is a bit over my head. Still, it was a very educational experience as sites like this and the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker near the Shropshire Union canal in Nantwich are a fascinating reminder of our wartime past and are quite often overlooked, especially by boat vloggers who rely solely on the canals for their stories.  

Since my visit to Bletchley Park, I’ve now watched the movie “The Imitation Game” on Amazon Prime. It’s helped me fill in the gaps of the knowledge I’d learned previously by visiting the actual site.