Telecoms at Bletchley Park

Telecoms at BLETCHLEY PARK
"Home of Ultra - Britain's Best Kept Secret!"

Telecoms at Bletchley Park - View across the lake 2007

More than sixty years ago, the covert activities at Bletchley Park were said to have shortened the war by several years as well as forming the foundations of modern communications.
Now, in the 21st century, by combining old and new technologies to revive long-forgotten memories and neglected buildings, the electro-mechanical machines of the 1940s are being replicated so that the fascinating story of the code-breakers and early computing pioneers can be told.
The Park is still a sprawling site, with lots of unobtrusive single storey huts and buildings seemingly of little importance, which have survived since World War II, and these are gradually being brought back to life, as funding permits.
Bletchley Park has many connections with telecommunications that have set the standards for the way we communicate today. These pages will look at just some of the Government and Post Office history associated with the Park.

The Grounds

The original entrance in Wilton Avenue is rarely used and is locked shut. As the sign proclaims
"GOVERNMENT PROPERTY, UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY PROHIBITED".
There is a newer entrance from Sherwood Drive...

The Mansion

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.

Tour the Park

Today, Bletchley Park is a living museum attempting to re-create many of the intricate and pioneering machines that helped to win the war. Tour the Park and wonder at the men and women who worked endlessly (day and night), in those very basic huts, to break the enemy's codes.

Telecoms at Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park has many connections with telecommunications that have set the standards for the way we communicate today. These pages will look at just some of the Government and Post Office history associated with the Park.

The Colossus Rebuild

The Colossus Rebuild Project in Block H has recreated the power of the world's first electronic computer.

The Bombe Rebuild

On 17th July 2007, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the British Computer Society, the Bombe Rebuild was switched on after 12 years of meticulous reconstruction. A new exhibition and display in B Block provides a detailed insight into the mechanics of code breaking.

Further Information & Links

Further Information & Links
This site is dedicated to Margaret Davies who, during the war, worked on a lathe at BTM Letchworth, making components for the Bombes.
Photos: LSA 2007

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