Buckinghamshire

Located just to the north of London Buckinghamshire is home to the infamous Milton Keynes (MK).

Bletchley Park was the home of the British code breaking unit in the Second World war and where early computers were developed. It was instrumental in the breaking of German codes and is thought to have shortened the war by several years. Now the former stately home is a museum with many of the buildings used during the war preserved/recreated to tell the story.

“Block C” is where visitors enter the site and where the parking lot can be found (parking is free, there is a fee for the museum). It is also home to several exhibits, a cafe and a large gift shop. Here you pick up your (free with admission) audio guide which is definitely recommended as there is a lot here. There are free guided tours that you must sign up for and leave from a building (the “gatehouse”) a short distance from the mansion. Be sure to also pick up a map as the site is quite large and a bit confusing.

A few highlights:

• Mansion - Never previously opened, this is the mansion that originally occupied the site and now has several interesting exhibits and a rather nice place to have tea (bookings only). The rather busy, though reasonably priced, cafeteria is located in Hut 4 to the left of the house.

• Block B - Has a great museum on the first floor and an excellent exhibit in the basement that provides a lot of detail missed in the other buildings on the site. Some interesting recreations of the living accommodation in Bletchley when it was in use. Definitely one for the geeks.

• Hut 11A - Houses a museum describing the physical mechanics of breaking codes including a very good reproduction of the “Bombe” - An early code breaking machine.

• Hut 8 - Houses a rather odd exhibit about the role of pigeons in the war effort as well as a number of rooms where the spaces have been furnished the way they would have been during the war.

• Garages (behind the Mansion) - Has a small collection of vehicles that contributed to the war effort.

In recent years there has been a lot of work here and it is definitely now worth a visit though plan a day to have a good chance of seeing anything.

Note that entrance to the Bletchley Park museum does NOT include admission to the nearby National Museum of Computing which is also well worth a visit.

For further information please see:

• Buckinghamshire County Council
• Visit Buckinghamshire