By Andy McCue, 24 July 2008 11:57
NEWS
The survival of Bletchley Park, the secret home to Britain's codebreakers during World War II, is under serious threat from the "ravages of age and a lack of investment" unless the government steps in to provide vital funds.
That is the stark warning from almost 100 leading academics and computer scientists in a public letter in The Times.
Bletchley Park turns back time
1. Photos: Colossus gets cracking after 60 years
2. Photos: The Colossus WWII codebreaking machine
3. Video: The Colossus WWII codebreaking machine
Bletchley Park is famous for the decrypting messages enciphered by the Nazi Enigma machines - depicted in the Hollywood movie of the same name - and also for the world's first codebreaking supercomputer Colossus, which cracked the codes used to encipher messages between Hitler's high command. Take a look at silicon.com's exclusive behind-the-scenes photo tour of Colossus.
Bletchley Park was declared a conservation area in 1992 by Milton Keynes Borough Council and is now run by the Bletchley Park Trust - a charity that receives no external funding.
The Trust was recently forced to resort to selling off broken roof slates from the historic house to souvenir hunters in an attempt to raise funds.
In the public letter the scientists warn: "Although there has recently been some progress in generating income, without fundamental support Bletchley Park is still under threat, this time from the ravages of age and a lack of investment. Many of the huts where the codebreaking occurred are in a terrible state of disrepair. As a nation, we cannot allow this crucial and unique piece of both British and world heritage to be neglected in this way."
The letter calls for secure long-term financial backing on a par with other museums such as the Imperial War Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.
Among the scientists to put their name to the letter are professor Bill Roscoe, director of Oxford University's computing laboratory, professor Jean Bacon at the University of Cambridge computer laboratory and professor Ian Sommerville, professor of software engineering, University of St Andrews.
Comments
There are 10 comments. Join the discussion
1. Coby Burns
My husband's father was trained at Bletchley Park so a few years ago we visited and I was so impressed! I am grateful there are places like this to open peoples eyes to amazing history. It's shameful that places like this are not considered treasure to the Government. This is history that should be preserved. Is there a petition or anything that concerned people can go to to donate time or money to get the funds collected to keep Bletchley from crumbling to dust?
2. Karen Challinor
"unless the government steps in to provide vital funds"
bye bye Bletchley Park then, another inspirational monument to intellect down the tubes
3. anonymous
Its OK, WW2 is actually over now.
4. Sarah
I went to Bletchley Park a few years ago with my Dad and it was fantastic. We were there all day and had problems getting to see everything on display.
5. GALLEY SLAVE#41
The war Is over and the nation needs to look to the future and future theats
not the past.
If this place was still a going concern then it would quite likely get a few bob from the Wassocks of Westminster.
6. steve brokenshire
I appreciate the war is over, but Bletchley Park is not just about the war. It is about computing and wheere we would be today without the pioneers at Bletchley Park such as Alan Turing.
Thats the reason the government should support the site.
7. Dave Rees
Bletchley Park would seem to be the ideal place for the 'Swindon Computer Museum' Which lost it's home recently
8. Karen Challinor
yes the war is over, but this place is a monument to intellec,t to inspire future generations with the idea that intelligence can solve problems that brute force cannot
allowing it to fall into disrepair perpetuates the idea that intellect will be there when required and can be disposed of when it isn't, like anything else if you don't nurture it and use it it will atrophy
using the same argument, Lord Nelson died and the battle of trafalgar was won some time ago now, and Nelson's Column occupies extremely valuable real estate in the heart of the capital, should we allow that to fall into disrepair ?
ok it's a bit of a tourist trap, but bletchley could be the same and yes Nelson nobly gave his life for his country but the scientists at Bletchley gave just as much and for a lot longer, why shouldn't they have a monument to honour their achievements
or is it a case of politicians still regarding free thinkers with deep suspicion
9. anonymous
As I recall one of the first controversial donations made by the lottery fund was to buy some letters written by Churchill. In my opinion seeing the early computers produced at Bletchley in context would be far more inspiring for us and future generations, than a few personal letters.
The lottery fund should be paying for Bletchley and the computers that were invented ther.
10. Martin Brazill
I was there on last Sunday (27th July) and it was a very SAD place.
Not like the science museum at all e.g. very little interactive exhibits. Both my kids were very board.
There is a lot of potential especially with the size of the site and the story/film tie in but the attention span needed for the explanation of the maths involved was mind-numbing even for me (a 48 year old geek) and my mate with the phd.
Oh and asking several quid for a broken tile was quite bizarre.