Bletchley Park History

Recent History

With the declaration of peace, the frenzy of codebreaking activity ceased.

On Churchill's orders, every scrap of 'incriminating' evidence was destroyed. As the Second World War gave way to the Cold War, it was vital that Britain's former ally, the USSR, should learn nothing of Bletchley Park's wartime achievements.

The thousands who had worked there departed. Some continued to use their remarkable expertise to break other countries' cyphers, working under a new name: the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

The site became home to a variety of training schools: for teachers, Post Office workers, air traffic control system engineers, and members of GCHQ. In 1987, after a fifty-year association with British Intelligence, Bletchley Park was finally decommissioned.

For decades, the codebreakers would remain silent about their achievements. It was not until the wartime information was declassified in the mid-1970s that the truth would begin to emerge. And the impact of those achievements on the outcome of the war and subsequent developments in communications still has not been recognised fully.

The Bletchley Park Trust

In 1991, the site was almost empty and plans were afoot to demolish the buildings to make way for a housing development. The secrecy that had been so essential to Bletchley Park's success during the war was now counting against it. For secrecy meant ignorance, starving the Park of investment and resulting in its slow decline. By the time the public become aware of the Park's wartime and technological significance, it was almost too late. Almost, but not quite.

In May 1991 the Bletchley Archaeological and Historical Society formed a small committee to bring together as many former codebreakers as could be traced, for a farewell 'thank you' before the site was destroyed. On 21st October 1991, the farewell party was held in the grounds. Over 400 codebreakers attended. As a result of the stories they told, it was decided to attempt to save the site for posterity.

Bletchley Park Trust was formed on 13th February 1992, three days after Milton Keynes Borough Council declared most of the Park a conservation area. Negotiations began with the site's landowners, the Government's land agency PACE (The Property Advisors to the Civil Estate) and British Telecom.

This group first opened the site to visitors in 1993 and, with the help of many volunteers and enthusiasts, maintained a collection of independent and Trust exhibitions for the general public to enjoy. HRH The Duke of Kent became Chief Patron, officially opening the Museum in July 1994.

The landowners withdrew all planning applications when the Local Government Inspectorate recommended the historic nature of the site be taken into account in residential planning applications. But in the years that followed, the tortuous battle to save the site nearly foundered on a number of occasions, with hostile bids from property developers an ever-present threat.

In 1998, with new Trust Director Christine Large at the helm, the Trust began fresh negotiations with the landowners to acquire a substantial part of the site in order to preserve and enhance it for the national good.

On 10th June 1999, jubilant volunteers and trustees celebrated a deal that secured the future of Bletchley Park in the hands of the Trust. Christine Large led the Trust's negotiating team to secure a deal with the landowners which many had come to believe was impossible. A groundbreaking formula was agreed that gave the Trust an initial 250-year lease on the core historic areas of the site. The Trust will automatically own the land freehold in due course.

In January 2000, a new and distinguished Trust Board was appointed from existing and newly recruited members. It has broad-based skills, relevant to the challenges facing the Park today. In May 2000, the Trust's strategic plan was approved. The Trust's objective now is to secure a long-term future for Bletchley Park by building on the pioneering work of the codebreakers.

Would you like to play a part in that future?

The history of Bletchley Park is, to an extent, still shrouded in mystery. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, Bletchley Park Trust is unable to accept liability for information contained on this site, or in any other publication. If you should uncover an error, please let us know so that we may set the record straight. Please see the Contact Us section of this site for details.