BLETCHLEY  PARK  HOSTS  FAMILY  HISTORY  FAIR
SUNDAY  22  NOVEMBER  2009, 10.30am-4pm

A wide range of exhibitors, family history societies and lectures by emminent family history experts are some of the highlights of the forthcoming Family History Fair, which is hosted for the second year running at Bletchley Park on Sunday 22 November from 10.30am to 4pm.

TV’s Dr Nick Barratt, from the BBC programme, ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, will be speaking about  ‘House History’ and ‘Family History and the Media’ at 12 noon and 2pm respectively.  At 1pm, Dr Bruce Durie of Glasgow’s Strathclyde University will give a talk called ‘Not All Clans and Tartans’, looking at the subject of researching family history in Scotland.  Bletchley Park itself will be the subject of a number of talks that will take place in the library in the Mansion.

Some of the exhibitors expected to attend are the Federation of Family History Societies the Anglian Italian Family History Society, as well as family history societies from around the UK, including Bedford, Devon, Dorset, Doncaster, Hertfordshire and Somerset.  Also represented will be the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and organisations who specialise in family silver, conservation, photographs (visitors are welcome to bring along old family photographs and have them re-touched by Prynne), printers, books, maps and general geneaology supplies.  See below for a full list.

Admission to the Family History Fair is just £4 per person but for an extra £6, visitors may upgrade to an annual Bletchley Park season ticket, which entitles the holder to visit the whole Bletchley Park site.  The season ticket entitles the holder to visit the park free of charge for a full 12 month period.

The Bletchley Park story is told in the main Block-B museum, where the Abwehr Enigma, the Bombe re-build and other codebreaking machines are on display.  At The National Museum of Computing in H Block, visitors will see Colossus, the first ever electronic semi programmable computer.  Other things to see around the Park include a Bomber Command and Home Front exhibition; Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society; the Oxf. & Bucks L.I. at Pegasus Bridge display; the 65th Nachrichten Abteilung German Signals Group; an original 1940's cinema screening wartime show reels; the Toys and Memorabilia Collection; a Maritime and Model Railway exhibition; Diplomatic Wireless Service; Bletchley Park Post Office; and the Victorian Mansion, all in a parkland setting with a lake, wildlife and a children’s play area.

The café in Hut 4 serves refreshments and light lunches and the gift shop sells a range of books, DVDs, CDs, gifts and toys.  Bletchley Park is easily accessible by car from the A5 and J13 and J14 of the M1. 

Exhibitors confirmed so far include 

• Bedfordshire Family History Society
• CAB Search
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• S & N Genealogy Supplies
• Herts FHS
• Devon FHS
• One Stop Geneology (JK)
• Retouched By Prynne
• Maxbal Genealogy
• This Way Books & Cassini Historical Maps
• University of Strathclyde

• Doncaster & District Family History Society
• Conservation By Design
• Family Silver
• Federation of Family History Societies
• Somerset & Dorset FHS
• Abbepics
• Genealogy Printers
• Anglian Italian FHS
• M&P Barnes
• Varneys
• Central Exhibitions

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For any information, exhibitor enquiries or sponsorship opportunities, please email Les Nunn at info@centralexhibitions.co.uk or telephone 01908 305123

Visitor information, 01908 640404, info@bletchleypark.org.uk, www.bletchleypark.org.uk