Bletchley Park is now internationally famous as the home of the code-breakers during World War Two. But the endeavours of Alan Turing, Dilly Knox and their colleagues were so top secret that we are only now beginning to learn how they really lived day-to-day in this magnificent house, where – behind closed doors, under the cover of darkness, and against the clock - they determined the course of our wartime history. The house is also fascinating for what it tells us about how the 10,000 men and women working there would live on a daily basis. Artifacts from a Recreation Club – offering activities such as fencing, debating societies and amateur dramatics, amongst others – and film showings suggest an atmosphere not dissimilar to an Oxbridge college, and show a more human side to the story of how they developed the Enigma Machine. In this World War Two Season Special, join Dan Snow on an exclusive tour of the house and grounds, as well as the little known but all-important cottages that surround them. Learn about the men and women whose skill and ingenuity saved millions of lives, and about the machine they developed to help them do it.
Up Next in Season 1
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A Tour of Fishbourne Palace
In 1960, a man was laying a waterpipe underneath the quaint village of Fishbourne near Chichester, West Sussex, when he uncovered what looked like Roman remains. After he duly reported the discover, the archaeologists were called in and they quickly unearthed more and more prestigious finds. They...
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A Tour of the Althorp House Art Colle...
Situated in the heart of Northamptonshire, Althorp House is one of the most magnificent stately homes in Britain. Since the sixteenth century it has been the home of the Spencers, a family with a prestigious history that only a handful of ménages can match. Charles I, Sarah Churchill, Winston Chu...
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North Wales
North Wales is famous for its heroic, mountainous landscape and its abundance of fascinating historical sites. The area that was known as the Kingdom of Gwynedd for almost a millennium is steeped in history: right across the mountainous stronghold of Snowdonia one finds ancient battlements, extra...
