Bletchley Park and Enigma
The town of Bletchley boasts early medieval origins as demonstrated by the remains of the 12 th century Church f St. Mary. However, Bletchley remained a very small settlement until the Victorian period of the 19 th century when the London to Scotland railway was constructed and which goes right through the town.
Bletchley, however, acquired world fame for the wartime activities of the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. Described by Winston Churchill as "utter secret" Bletchley Park employed at its height 12,000 people among whom were some of the country's greatest mathematicians and code breakers. Its most famous and noteworthy achievement and what undoubtedly saved many lives, was its decoding of the German enigma machine after it had been captured by British and Polish agents. An important side-effect of Bletchley Park's wartime activities was the development of the first computers.
Today, as the result of the Bletchley Park Trust, formed by several local residents, the 55 acre estate is open to visitors who can view several exhibitions of the machinery and activities of the code-breakers as well as picnic in the beautiful grounds in which the House is set.
For further information see - http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/