31 May 2023
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Learning Manager Lily Dean relocates an original German Enigma machine to its new home in Block E Learning Centre © Will Amlot – Courtesy of Bletchley Park Trust
This summer, a newly-restored wartime building at Bletchley Park will open as a new museum learning centre, dedicated to formal and informal learning programmes
As part of a £13-million redevelopment, the new learning centre is sited in a formerly run-down building at the heart of the historic World War Two codebreaking site. Left vacant for decades, it is in use once again, providing dedicated learning spaces that will enable tailored experiences for all ages.
Block E was built in 1943 and was the only block devoted entirely to communications at Bletchley Park during World War Two. Sections working here handled incoming and outgoing messages, encryption using machines such as Typex, and the distribution of material throughout the organisation.
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The new educational spaces created in Block E include eight learning spaces to accommodate everyone from primary school learners to higher education students.
Lily Dean, Learning Manager for the Bletchley Park Trust, said: “We are very proud of Bletchley Park’s award-winning learning programme, and we are looking forward to opening Block E as a new, state-of-the-art learning centre. This facility will enable more students to visit us, supporting their studies in STEM subjects, and helping us to share the amazing feats of human ingenuity that took place at Bletchley Park with more learners than ever before.”
Bletchley Park Trust is grateful to all the supporters who have made this project possible. Notable support for the refurbishment of Block E and creation of the learning centre has been received from the Towns Fund via Milton Keynes Council; the Foyle Foundation; the Garfield Weston Foundation; the Thomas L. Kempner, Jr., Foundation Inc.; the Post Office Remembrance Fellowship; and Dr Edmund O. Schweitzer III and Mrs Beatriz Schweitzer.
Specific funding for equitable access has been provided by the MK Community Foundation. Support for free workshops and travel bursaries in 2023/4 has been provided by the IBM UK Trust.
To find out more, visit the Bletchley Park website