Guided Walking Tour

Walk in the footsteps of Alan Turing and his codebreaking colleagues and see the historic huts and buildings where the code breakers worked. This walking tour takes in the most significant areas of the Park during the wartime codebreaking operations, and is led by a learning volunteer. The tour lasts for 45 minutes for students on visits for 7-14 year olds. In the case of guided visits for 12-14 year olds, 14-19 year olds and adults, the learning volunteer is also your host for the day, and the walking tour segment lasts from 1 to 1.5 hours. For Computer Science students, a visit to the rebuild of Colossus can be included in the tour.

The tour commentary includes the story of the Government Code and Cypher School which arrived at Bletchley Park in 1939, and which a year later was renamed the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). The development of the Enigma machine is interwoven with the intelligence war leading up to and during WWII. The highs and the lows of the intelligence war are juxtaposed with the intellectual and technological triumphs of the staff of Bletchley Park.

The tour usually includes the Bletchley Park Story exhibits with its displays of Axis and Allied cipher equipment, including genuine Enigma machines.

Learning objectives for Walking Tour

Students will be able to define the Wartime use of the Huts and Mansion.

Students will be able to identify the different stages of the code breaking process from intercept to decrypt.

Students will be able to contrast the Wartime use of buildings with their original function as a family home and estate.