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12th May 2020, 11:45 am | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LEEDS.......North of the River Aire.
Posts: 872
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Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
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12th May 2020, 12:27 pm | #2 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Morden, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,560
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Re: Bletchely park, the parts that the public do not see.
That brings back memories - I was a B.O.T. apprentice there in1968 / 69. Half of D block was GCHQ, completely separate.
Over the back they had a working Cossor ACR6 Radar. |
12th May 2020, 12:53 pm | #3 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,289
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
I don't remember GCHQ being there, but I do remember the CAA and the Diplomatic Wireless Service (DWS).
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Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
12th May 2020, 1:05 pm | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Morden, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,560
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
GCHQ had the bottom half of D block, we (B.o.T / CAA) had the top half. DWS were the other side of the road, GPO had the mansion and some other buildings. Pubs & Bricks had a few of the older sheds, I think
One of the GCHQ people had a MKII Jaguar with an alarm fitted. He got very narky when 30 apprentices walked past it at two minute intervals to give it a slight nudge and set the alarm off. |
12th May 2020, 1:34 pm | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK.
Posts: 2,039
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Some of that gear looks interesting.
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Life's a long song, but the tune ends too soon for us all. |
12th May 2020, 4:33 pm | #6 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,738
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Are the areas shown part of the museum or just abandoned completely?
One of the oscilloscope on the tables by the windows is a HP 120B. David Edit: there are more pictures if you click the link at the bottom of the post, sadly also showing graffiti & vandalism. |
12th May 2020, 5:11 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,642
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
I wonder what secret message is on that teleprinter tape?
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12th May 2020, 5:26 pm | #8 | |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Morden, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,560
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Quote:
The navaids field over the back was already being built on, I assumed that D block would be the next new building site. The main historic parts are the original wooden huts and the main part of the museum is one of the earliest blocks which was DWS when I was originally there. We never went into the mansion when I was a B.o.T. apprentice - that was GPO and they were thickies..... |
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12th May 2020, 9:18 pm | #9 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,738
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
I've not yet been to either TNMoC or Bletchley Park Mansion (two completely separate museums), I hope to go in the future. Looking on google earth those derelict blocks are a lot bigger than the huts used by TNMoC, I can't see them getting repaired without a lot of funds & future use for them.
Also TNMoC seems to rent block H from Bletchley Park Trust and need help to survive with the current problems. https://www.tnmoc.org/ David |
12th May 2020, 9:50 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
I had an interview in one of the huts back in the late 1960's I think it was, two blokes doing the interviewing, was that derelict building near the huts, my memory is a bit vague of the surroundings.
By coincidence I appeared (Who me m'lud) in the same sessions house that Alan Turing was tried in. Lawrence. |
13th May 2020, 12:38 pm | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,536
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
There used to be a DWS display at BP- I was chuffed to see a Racal transmitter there of a type that I had done some minor post design support work on in the '70's. That was before the controversial round of changes to the place that featured on here a while back. The last time I was there a year or so back the hut where it was was just locked up and abandoned looking.
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14th May 2020, 10:06 am | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,817
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Thanks for this thread Brunel. My eldest Grandaughter visited Bletchley Park earlier in the year with my son and the rest of the family. She is in a Sixth Form at Northampton [near the former Daventry site which is now a Country Park] looking at things like coding and has produced an impressive essay about BP and it's overall history. I was booked in to go on the trip but the date was brought forward by the College so I sent some background info instead. I told her about visiting Bletchley in the mid nineties, when it was just a few huts in poor condition, being revived by the amazing volunteers. Of course I didn't know anything about the rest of the site that you have highlighted. This hidden area has coincided with me being sent a copy of her work and I've told her to take a look at your info!
I've put her on to Hedy Lammar [Bluetooth Pioneer] as well ! Dave W Last edited by dave walsh; 14th May 2020 at 10:12 am. |
14th May 2020, 12:21 pm | #13 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 4,991
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Quote:
Craig |
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14th May 2020, 3:55 pm | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,642
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Finances may force a rationalisation, maybe?
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14th May 2020, 6:11 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,817
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Another Forum member posted about this schism earlier in the year and I passed the info on to my son. It seems there is little collaboration re opening times or even how to end up in the right place with the correct ticket [I see Craig has covered that already]. An explanation that makes a certain amount of sense [but perhaps not much] is that one organisation has public funding and the other relies on goodwill from it's volunteers. One reason I'd like to visit again is that my AR88 set is a "Diversity" slave receiver and they have built a repro of the whole set-up on site. I can't remember which site but I think it wasn't the one I expected it to be. You'd think they could use an economic crisis to do better [as suggested by Bill].
Dave W If they decided to repeat BBC2's Behind The Scenes At The Museum from June 2012 [Episode 1/3 Preston Commercial Vehicle Museum] you would see the back stage machinations there. Just like "Smiley's People". Last edited by dave walsh; 14th May 2020 at 6:23 pm. |
14th May 2020, 10:19 pm | #16 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 1,223
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
There are two, separate, very large derelict blocks at BP.
"D" Block (in those Urbex pictures) still belongs to the BP trust. Planning permission was granted recently for a full refurbishment to turn it into a Further Educaton college specialising in Information Technology, a joint venture between BP and the nearby Milton Keynes College. (Google for further information). Previously it was used as storage by the Bletchley Park Trust, the Projected Picture Trust, and the Computer Museum. The PPT was booted out during the machinations that followed one of the infamous regime changes at the Trust, and the Computer Museum had to move their storage elsewhere too. BP then slapped Asbestos Warnings all over the building and it has been locked up ever since along with some bits and pieces that were not removed from storage, either because they were not worth keeping or through lack of time before the building was declared unsafe. "G" block, the old GPO training centre, is on land that was sold by the BP Trust for housing development ten or fifteen years ago. The developers built their high density housing estate, but G block would have cost them a lot of money to demolish. They sold it to Bletchley Park Capital Partners (BPCP), the private company that runs the commercial office accomodation in the Mansion and some other buildings on the BP site. BPCP was originally set up by some local businessmen to fund the office conversion on a commercial basis and to provide BP with much needed rental income when it was in dire financial straits prior to gaining their Lottery grant. Unfortunately another effect of the aforementioned machinations was a disagreement between the new Trust management and BPCP. BPCP had plans to convert G block into office accomodation plus a "Cyber College" (i.e. a Further Educaton college specialising in Information Technology), but were heavily obstructed by their neighbours across the fence and the plans were subject to interminable delays. Then came the surprise announcement of the Trust's own plans for D block. G block is now up for sale again... The Diversity AR88 racks are in the Computer Museum and are a fully working reproduction of a receiving bay at the WW2 interrcept station at Knockholt. Effectively a standard RCA Teleprinter traffic receiving station, with modifications to receive the then German government's highest level secret communications. This provided the messages that were decrypted by the Colossus computer, a working replica of which is in an adjacent room. Well worth a visit, whenever they reopen. |
15th May 2020, 1:12 pm | #17 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,817
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Re: Bletchley Park, the parts that the public do not see.
Thanks for that outline of events Dave. I recall now that it was Forum member Sean Williams who worked on the Receiving Bay replica. Perhaps I was naive but I remember being surprised that it was located on the Computer side
Dave W |