Bletchley Park.

[45669]

Afternoon All,

Just to make a change from trains and railways, I had a day out last month at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire. During World War II, this was the HQ of a crack team of highly skilled and clever people who were able crack and read the coded messages created by the German Enigma and other coding machines. It is said that this played a major role in the Allied victory, shortened the war by around two years and saved countless lives. It was a highly classified top secret location during the war and for many years afterwards, but it is no longer a secret and has been turned into a fascinating museum open to the public.

If anyone would like to have a look, here are the photos I took during my visit:

Bletchley Park

Once a home to the landed gentry, Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, around 50 miles north of London, was taken over in World War II and became the top secret location of the crack team of code-breakers that were able to de-code and read the German, Italian and Japanese military messages...

www.flickr.com

Hope they're of interest.

TTFN,

Ron.

 

[Eyersey468]

I went to Bletchley Park a few years ago, fascinating place.

 

[45669]

I went to Bletchley Park a few years ago, fascinating place.

It certainly is. It's probably even better than when you went, so it might be worth your while going again. If you do, the ticket is valid for 12 months.

 

[Eyersey468]

It certainly is. It's probably even better than when you went, so it might be worth your while going again. If you do, the ticket is valid for 12 months.

Yeah I might see if we can get there next year

 

[Dave W]

Stumbled across this from the index page - I went to Bletchley about this time last year, expecting to spend a few hours there then retire to a pub somewhere. Alas, I had to be shoehorned out of the museum at closing time - what a marvellous, brilliant place, full of atmosphere. To think about the impact of what went on there 80 years ago is quite sobering.

V highly recommended!

 

[jfollows]

I've been four times, I think, including on one occasion going to a meeting with Tony Sale and his wife followed by Tony's demonstration of Colossus, he's dead now so it was a number of years ago.

I wouldn't put anyone off going for the first time.

But I must say that I won't be going again. It seems to have become rather more trivial today, perhaps as a result of its upgrades which will make the place more attractive to first-time visitors, but it no longer has the feel of the place when I first went, oh, 15 years ago, when it felt that the former inhabitants were hiding round the corner and might appear at any moment.

Now it's a museum and it's got its good points as a result, but it's also harder to relate to what it once used to be.

Good luck to it, I think, but last time I visited the most interesting parts were the Polish war memorial and walking around the grounds in early September sunshine. Which kind of could be anywhere, couldn't it?

 

[45669]

I've been four times, I think, including on one occasion going to a meeting with Tony Sale and his wife followed by Tony's demonstration of Colossus, he's dead now so it was a number of years ago.

I wouldn't put anyone off going for the first time.

But I must say that I won't be going again.

Well, we'll certainly be going again. There's so much to see that we had to be thrown out at closing time without seeing it all. Also, the computer museum which houses the Colossus and the Bombe was closed as it was a Monday, but we wouldn't have had time to go there even if it had been open.