Bletchley Park

About the museum

The estate was first known as Bletchley Park after the architect Samuel Lipscomb Seckham bought it in 1877 and built a house there. In 1883 it passed to Sir Herbert Leon, who greatly enlarged the mansion in a mixture of Victorian Gothic, Tudor and Dutch Baroque styles. After the death of his widow in 1937 the site was threatened with housing development, but in 1938 the head of the Secret Intelligence Service, Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, bought the mansion and part of the grounds for use in wartime.

During the Second World War Bletchley Park was the main centre of Allied codebreaking. The Government Code and Cypher School regularly read the secret communications of the Axis powers, above all the German Enigma and Lorenz ciphers. The workforce grew to around 9,000 people by the middle of the war, about three quarters of them women, and the team developed automatic machinery for decryption, culminating in the Colossus computer. Intelligence from Bletchley, known as Ultra, played an important part in the Allied war effort, including the D-Day invasion.

Codebreaking operations ended in 1946, and the work stayed secret until the mid-1970s. After the war the site had various uses before it became the museum that today uses immersive films, interactive displays, collections and re-created wartime rooms in restored historic huts and blocks to tell the story.

Highlights

• The Mansion and the restored wartime huts
• The Intelligence Factory exhibition on the industrial scale of codebreaking
• Early Days, about the first Bletchley Park codebreakers
• Veterans' Stories told by people who worked at the park
• Free multimedia guide narrated by historian Jonathan Foyle

Permanent exhibitions

• The Intelligence Factory – An exhibition on how Bletchley Park operated at an industrial scale as its workforce grew to around 9,000 people between 1942 and 1945.
• Early Days – The story of the first codebreakers who worked at Bletchley Park.
• Veterans' Stories – A showcase of the experiences of people who lived and worked at Bletchley Park during the war.

Founded

1877

Operated by

Bletchley Park Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices shown are for tickets booked online in advance, which are 10% cheaper than tickets bought on arrival (adult £28.75, senior and student £26.25, young person £15.00, child £7.50). Residents living within about 10 miles can buy tickets at 50% off with proof of residence. Discounts also apply to English Heritage members, the armed forces, National Art Pass holders and rail 2-for-1 users when buying at Admissions.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The museum has step-free access, all exhibitions are on ground-floor level and ramps are installed on site; a lift gives access to the exhibition area in Block A. Wheelchairs and a four-wheeled rollator can be borrowed from the Visitor Centre, although staff cannot push wheelchair users around the site. A Changing Places toilet is in Block E (Learning Centre). There are 24 disabled parking spaces behind the Porters' Lodge and five more in the Block F car park. The free multimedia guide is available in British Sign Language and with audio description, and a tactile and braille guide is offered for The Intelligence Factory. Large print guides and transcripts are available, many films have subtitles, and sound enhancement is provided on the 12:00 and 14:00 tours. Assistance dogs and guide dogs are welcome, and free Sunflower lanyards are available at the Visitor Centre.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Children under 8 are free. The Secret Mission activity booklet (£1 at Admissions) sends children on missions around the site. A family multimedia tour is narrated through the character of a Wren and includes codebreaker puzzles. There is an outdoor playground next to the Hut 4 Café, kids' picnic boxes, plenty of outdoor space and hands-on displays. Accessible and baby-change facilities are across the site.

Getting there & parking

Address for satellite navigation: Bletchley Park, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6EB.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available

Hut 4 Café and the Block C Coffee Shop, both open daily, plus a kiosk with ice cream on selected days; afternoon tea is served in the Mansion. There is no left luggage facility.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit