 | BLETCHLEY PARK UNVEILS UNIQUE FABERGE ENIGMA EGGReleased : Feb 14, 2007 Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, the historic site of secret British code breaking activities during World War Two and the birthplace of the modern computer, has unveiled a specially-commissioned limited edition of 50 blue and gold Fabergé Enigma Eggs to help raise much needed funds to maintain this historically important site. Commissioned from Sarah Fabergé, great granddaughter of jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court, Carl Fabergé, each Enigma Egg costs £3,500. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of each one will go towards the Bletchley Park Trust.
Inside each egg is an exquisite miniature model of an Enigma machine, containing copper salvaged from an original machine.
The model has a moveable lid and front and is made to scale in the most minute detail. The Enigma Egg portrays the story of wartime Bletchley and the splendour of the Victorian Mansion, with a design inspired by the elaborate staircase ceiling. A golden goose depicts Sir Winston Churchill’s famous description of the achievements of the Bletchley Park codebreakers and their veil of secrecy as ‘The Geese that laid the golden eggs but never cackled’.
“The combination of this beautiful object and the passion felt by so many people for Bletchley Park will no doubt ensure that the limited-edition Fabergé Enigma Egg will very quickly become a valuable and much sought after collector’s item,” says Simon Greenish, director, Bletchley Park.
Now open to visitors as a heritage site and museum, Bletchley Park was once home to Churchill’s codebreakers; their successes are believed to have saved countless lives by helping to shorten the war by around two years.
The Fabergés have been known for their exquisite Eggs and jewellery since the Romanov court of pre-Revolutionary Russia a century and a half ago. The tradition continues today with the St Petersburg Collection in England, whose objets d’art remain constant to the principles of beautiful design and craftsmanship.
For further information about purchasing a Fabergé Enigma Egg, or for a Brochure, contact Simon Greenish, Director, Bletchley Park Trust, 01908 272682 sgreenish@bletchleypark.org.uk.
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