Thursday, November 06, 2008

Bletchley Park sheds in serious danger

Chris Smyth in The Times reports that the historic codebreaking buildings of Bletchley Park are to receive a major grant worth hundreds of thousands of pounds from the historic monuments commission. But the bad news is lower down in the story:
However, the future of the wooden huts where the Engima codes were cracked is still in doubt. They have been described in the summer as looking “like a garden shed that’s been left for 60 years”.
The Independent, which ran a campaign to save them, adds:
"Some huts have been preserved and are open to visitors, including the one which the mathematician Alan Turing used as an office. Others are in such a bad state that weeds and moss have taken over. But there was a hint yesterday that they may not be pulled down. Bletchley's director, Simon Greenish, described the English Heritage grant as "a very significant step forward." He added: "It is solving probably the most difficult problem of the lot – the mansion. To get that solved means other things will be a lot easier to deal with."
Since it was in these huts that the actual codebreaking work took place, Shedworking hopes the funders will demand that they be saved - if they look to be in danger, we will start a campaign too. Photo of women working in hut 6 courtesy Bletchley Park Trust.

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