Bletchley Park gets £500,000 boost

 

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By Maggie Holland

Posted on 30 Sep 2009 at 11:46

Bletchley Park has been awarded almost £500,000 in lottery funding to help secure the site's future.

The £460,500 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will go towards transforming Bletchley Park into a "world-class heritage and educational centre."

"Bletchley Park is an extraordinary part of the UK's heritage. The Heritage Lottery Fund's initial support for the Trust's restoration plans demonstrates our belief that Bletchley's story should be much more widely known and appreciated," says Carole Souter, chief executive of the HLF.

Bletchley's story should be much more widely known and appreciated

"We also recognise the importance of preserving the site as a tribute to the men and women who worked there with quiet and tireless dedication during World War Two. Without their dedication, our nation's history might have been a very different one."

Simon Greenish, director of the Bletchley Park Trust, adds: "Since 1992, the Trust has fought fiercely, tirelessly and righteously for this victorious moment; not only for the vital investment needed to move our plans forward but also for this definitive endorsement from the UK’s most prestigious heritage funding body that the nation has confidence, belief and advocacy in the Trust and the restoration project.

Greenish has also hinted that the site’s trust may apply for further financial assistance in the future from lottery funds, with a chance of obtaining £4.1 million of additional HLF support towards the £10 million project.

Bletchley Park was the home of the giant Colossus machines used to break German codes. Its most famous victory came in deciphering the infamous Enigma code, which was directly responsible for the Allied success in repelling the U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic.

More recently the machines were rebuilt to take part in a code-breaking competition with modern computers, with Colossus cracking the code three hours after its modern brethren.