Bletchley Park

[Mid A 15]

which played a vital part in World war 2 is potentially under threat from developers.

If you value British Heritage please sign this petition in an attempt to try and save it.

Thank you.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BletchleyPark/

[midget]

Is nothing sacred?
Maggie

[Katharine]

Does it matter that it says to sign by 28 May?

We have a friend who volunteers as a guide at Bletchley Park, I am surprised that he hasn't told us about the petition. He is a skilled storyteller and I think anyone who goes around with him will get good value for money!

[Jo]

The wording on the petition seems a bit more alarmist than on the Bletchley Park website (http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk).

It's just a few miles from us, and my partner volunteers in the cinema museum every alternate Sunday. A few years ago it was certainly under threat, as (if I recall correctly), the ownership was being debated (it had originally been the private house of the relevant Forces Big Cheese, who just saw it as an act of pragmatism to devote it to the codebreaking effort, but by the 70s it was in the hands of the Post Office, who thought it belonged to them). As a result, the museum was on a rolling 3 month lease and it didn't make economic sense to make much financial investment in it. Additionally it was a very large sprawling site and the museum encouraged other tenuously related clubs to share the premises, to add weight to their claims to the site. It was all very amateurish.

Within the last 5 years or so the ownership has been settled, the museum has raised and invested significant funding, and in an effort to raise more, has consolidated into the part of the site around the mansion, and sold off excess land for development. Everything has become much more professional, with a proper ticket office and shop, new canteen, etc. Many of the previous co-tenants have been given their marching orders as they don't really fit with the code-breaking/war theme and space is now at more of a premium (which caused some disgruntlement amongst ranks of elderly gentlemen who each thought their club deserved to stay). There is also a commercial arm - the mansion is available for booking for conferences, weddings, etc.

Of course they are making every effort to secure funding from wherever possible, and it would be great if it could receive Lottery or public funding. But (rightly or wrongly) I get the impression that this is to secure the long term future, rather than a huge panic to prevent it all falling down within the next year and the land being handed over to developers.

Incidentally, I know it's pure heresy to say so, especially since I work with computers, and maybe it's a case of familiarity breeding contempt, but I think I must be the only person in the world who finds the Bletchley Park museum a little...well... dull, basically. Some aspects were interesting first time round, but I have a real blind spot about military history and once was enough for me. It's not that I disapprove of things military, but whereas I'm interested in history in general, my eyes just glaze over when it comes to anything war-related. I have no idea why that is. But anyway, every visitor is desperate to see it as it's about the only thing in the area that has any real national cultural significance.

[Mid A 15]

Does it matter that it says to sign by 28 May?

We have a friend who volunteers as a guide at Bletchley Park, I am surprised that he hasn't told us about the petition. He is a skilled storyteller and I think anyone who goes around with him will get good value for money!

It's 28 May 2009.

[Katharine]

Does it matter that it says to sign by 28 May?

We have a friend who volunteers as a guide at Bletchley Park, I am surprised that he hasn't told us about the petition. He is a skilled storyteller and I think anyone who goes around with him will get good value for money!

It's 28 May 2009.

I didn't read that far!

[J.R.]

I've just finished reading a very interesting book about The Park's exploits in WW11.

Some of the people working there were real weird !!