Bletchley Park Tour

The famous wooden Codebreaking Huts

As recruitment continued, conditions in the Mansion soon became very overcrowded, with more office accommodation urgently needed. From October 1939 onwards, building work began on the now-famous wooden huts, which were to be the scene of some of the most extraordinary stories of the war.

The huts were hastily constructed on the lawns of the Park. Apparently, there were insufficient maintenance staff to complete the interiors in time, so all the local carpenters were detailed to report to the Park. Among their number were many undertakers who, in those days, made their own coffins so were skilled woodworkers. As a result, no coffins were made for miles around in the winter of 1939-40!

Huts 3, 6 and 8, together with Hut 4 at the side of the Mansion were to emerge as the key codebreaking huts. For security reasons, the huts were known only by their numbers.

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