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A Study of the Park. |
By the 1990s, Bletchley Park, owned by PACE (Property Advisors to the Civil Estate) and BT, had become an area of little-used 'time-expired' buildings, hidden wartime secrets, and a Grade II Listed Mansion, all in a somewhat idealic parkland. Against a background of emerging 'code breaking' stories, a battle for the land was taking place, as recognition for its wartime significance was gaining momentum.
In February 1992, the Bletchley Park Trust was formed with the intention of saving the Park for the nation. The landowners were reluctant not to sell to developers, but with much campaigning, the Trust was finally able to negotiate an agreement for use of the Park primarily as a museum. On 10th June 1999, the Trust was awarded a 250 year lease on the core historic areas of the Park with an option to purchase it for a nominal sum 25 years later. This was a great achievement, but sadly the non-core areas were then ripe for property developers to carve up.
The central core of Bletchley Park, including the majority of the wartime buildings and the mansion, was leased to Bletchley Park Trust to develop as a museum. The land to the north of Bletchley Park, was sold to housing developers, together with land to the south of Bletchley Park as well as the former canteen building on Wilton Avenue. The wartime G Block is within the designated 'conservation area', but outside of the Trust's 'core area'.
Since 1994, the Trust and TNMoC (The National Museum of Computing) have both worked hard to secure funding for their respective projects, with a common aim of telling the Bletchley Park story.
| Gates and Grounds | |
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Bletchley Park is re-creating a unique wartime atmosphere as it tells the story of the people who worked there, day and night, to break the enemy's secret codes, during World War II. |
| The Mansion | |
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Communications in the Park, centred on the Mansion to which access was restricted. Today, everyone can attend the lectures and learn more about the pioneering code-breaking of Bletchley Park. |
| The Codebreakers' Huts | |
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The Codebreaker's huts have been restored and many of the bomb blast walls have been rebuilt to make them as authentic as possible to the wartime era. |
| Blocks A to H | |
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Blocks A to H. An unfolding study... Blocks are being restored, refurbished and returned to original paint colours as funding permits. |
| Turing's Cottage | |
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The stable block, garages and cottages. |
| The Lake | |
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The picturesque lake still holds its intrigue within the sprawling park. And the ducks now guard the adjacent picnic area! |
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