Bletchley Park - Post War

After the war GC&CS changed its name to GCHQ and moved its Headquarters to Eastcote in Middlesex (1946) and later to Cheltenham (1950s). But the Central Training School stayed at Bletchley Park (BP) until 1987, when it moved to Culmhead (near Taunton in Somerset).

However, most training on the BP site was done for the telecommunications branch of the GPO (later, British Telecom). Their trainees (from the UK and also from all over the Commonwealth) would learn the skills needed as radio operators on the various civil HF services provided by the GPO until the late '60s, when satellite and later high-capacity cable and microwave links started to supplant these. These services included TELEX, paid telegram, Air Traffic Control (eg Flight Plan) links, Ship-Shore links, etc. Therefore, the administration, and eventually the land title, of the BP site passed from GCHQ to the GPO (which were equally parts of Government). But when BT was privatised the site became a BT corporate asset, while BT's need for its training facilities was rapidly decreasing.

The entire site (apart from the 'Listed' Manor), including all the historic wartime GC&CS buildings (the Huts etc) was in danger of being sold for development, and substantial parts were. However, a group of enthusiasts set up the Bletchley Park Trust which saved the central part of the site including some Huts. They have established there Museums both of the GC&CS activities (which had become largely declassified in the '70s) and of British Computing. The present Chairman of the Trust is Sir Francis Richards, the former Director of GCHQ.

The Trust has built working replicas both of COLOSSUS and of a Bombe. GCHQ was represented at the unveilings in Summer 2007 both of the latter and of a bust of Alan Turing

The Bletchley Park Trust preserves the important history of British Signals Intelligence work and is much respected and valued by those presently working at GCHQ. GCHQ supports the Trust by providing artefacts and documents for display that can be viewed and enjoyed by the visiting public. Members of staff new to GCHQ visit Bletchley Park as part of their induction process to learn something of the skills and values of our intelligence predecessors. The innovative and inspiring work of the Bletchley Park 'codebreakers' remains a benchmark to all working in the Intelligence business.

Top of page