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Bletchley Park Facing Financial Ruin
biscuitfever11 writes "Bletchley Park, the home of Station X, Britain's secret code-breaking base during World War II, is barely scraping by financially, as shown in these images compiled by ZDNet this week. The site has undergone major redevelopment as an act of remembrance for the Allied efforts to break the German Enigma code, but now its future is clouded — among others, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation turned them down for financial assistance (since it doesn't have to do with the Internet). Its director estimates that Bletchley Park's funds will be exhausted in three years. Hungry land developers are circling. This is an insightful look at what's happened to Bletchley Park these days and the pain it's going through."
I know this is /., and there is many a Bill-basher here who would probably take ANY opportunity to blast him, but COME ON.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
When I's a kid growing up in Kansas, we used t' rent out the upper room to boarders at a reasonable price. This helpt us git our bills paid and gave us poor farmers some company on those long summer nights. Twasn't like we were usin' the upstairs room.
Except for hubris, I don't see the real benefit in holding on to all that real estate if all they are going to do is slowly bleed to death. If they put the land to work for them, by renting it out as office space, they could probably make enough to keep a smaller museum running.
But what do I know about those English? All I know is that when I go into the bathroom, I'm American. When I come out, I'm American again.
Even the "run down" pictures look better than my working conditions.
Everything has a price tag. Everything costs something, and everyone should get something hard for everything he does.
No wonder that those countries economies are circling down the drain: long-term viability is sacrificed to the short-term gain.
It's no wonder that they so wantonly ignore their histories!!!!
My dog has no nose.
I have excellent Karma and I am not afraid to Troll it.
It's been nearly 50 years already so let it go !! Blimey !!
Enigma was broken by a Polish cryptographer named Marian Rejewski. The Poles knew they were going to be overrun by the Germans and disclosed their work to the French and British.
Bletchley Park is where they automated the process of intercepting, decrypting, translating, and analyzing Axis communications. I can't think of any large-scale SIGINT operation that preceded Bletchley, and it was certainly vital to the war effort, but credit where it's due, etc.
This is odd timing for me, I'm planning a trip to England and Italy at the beginning of 2010. When asked what I wanted to see in England all I could come up with is the working difference engine (I can't remember what museum it's in off the top of my head) and Bletchley Park.
This is something that I think could be saved by community donations. savebletchly.org is still available.
But then again I'm a little surprised that savemarsrovers.org still isn't taken.
I'm not voulenteering for either of these because I have zero experience in non-profits and just don't have the time.
"Everything has a price tag. Everything costs something, and everyone should get something hard for everything he does."
This only makes sense if you ignore why we use money. Money is simply an exchange of productivity. I work, get money, and then use that money to buy others' productivity. Saying "everything has a price tag" simply means that people are only willing to offer up their productivity if they get someone else's in return. That's the sign of a properly functioning market. If you want to donate to these causes, feel free, but don't demand the government forcibly take a larger portion of everyone's productivity (in the form of increased taxes) because you have a pet idea and you want easy access to money.
Ok, so I can (sort of) understand the Gates Foundation not wishing to fund this, but the UK National Lottery turned it down too!
For the benefit of those not in the UK, the National Lottery is where you buy a ticket for £1 and choose six numbers. If the numbers you pick come up - then you win a load of cash.
This Lottery was supposed to raise money for what are deemed "Good Causes". These Good Causes are chosen by some committee who seem to have a strange idea with regard to what constitutes a "good cause". Running an elitist venue such as the Royal Opera House and maybe your clientele is dwindling because your prices are bloody ridiculous? Lottery funding to the rescue! There are plenty of examples of this "Old Boy" network, where obscure or unpopular elitist "causes" are funded, whilst small local projects - or indeed projects of National Historical value, such as Bletchley Park, are turned down.
Only a very small percentage of the takings from the Lottery actually makes its way to the causes - the vast majority goes to the company which runs the Lottery. That is one of my biggest complaints about it - Richard Branson has offered on at least two occasions to run the Lottery and to make it a non-profit organisation, but has been turned down on both occasions, despite having the backing of most of the UK!
I am not familiar with how Bletchley is currently funded - presumably by entrance fees? - but I would expect the UK Government to help out, rather than see this go under.
Awful UID - but I have been here ages...
Make sure you go through the pictures as well, each one has a long and interesting caption.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
It is not some unique work of art or architecture. What was invented there (computer science) is what is really important and it is very alive in a lot of places today. The place where it all happened is just a footnote in history (and as some other posters will probably explain, Bletchley Park was only an important step in the coputer science history but is included in a continuity)
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
The developers being referred to in the article are from before WW2, not a current issue !
Perhaps the Gates' would be interested if they ported Windows to the Enigma machine, or, at the very least, develop a Enigma simulator for Windows.
Max.
We should keep part of it in a museum, but it doesn't really keep up with today's standards of technology, so why keep it.....other then nostalgic reasons, it really is more of a drain then an advantage, are we ever going to use it again to break codes that a clustered computer came up with, no!....break it up , sell the property, keep whatever is necessary in museums, and let bygones be bygones
The work that the code breakers at Bletchley park did prevented a lot of Ally deaths. When the Germans instituted using the 4-wheel enigma it was impossible to tell what the U-boats were doing out in the Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, supply boats going to the U.K. were being sunk at a high rate, unable to avoid the U-boats, eventually the Brits could have been forced out of the battle (no war supplies == no war). Near the end of 1942 however, some documented daily settings on the new 4-wheel enigma were pulled off of a sunken U-boat in the Mediterranean allowing german naval deciphers to be broken. Through the man-power, knowledge, and tools available at Bletchley, they could decipher and relay german naval messages (at least in the Atlantic) to high command often within hours of obtaining them. After this, supply ships in the Atlantic were nearly invisible to German U-boats. The monthly settings booklets still had to be retrieved to continue this, but through missions and sometimes luck most of them were captured
That's the WWII side of the story (or at least a very small part of it).
The importance to /. is probably that this war was the first time machines were used to cipher messages, and thus machines had to do the deciphering. To break the regular ground enigma's daily settings scientists at Bletchley designed and manufactured the Colossus(es). If you ever see this thing run, especially the interior mechanisms, you'll know this was a great unknown leap towards multi-purpose computing machinery. Unfortunately because of U.K. laws, the work and knowledge of those at Bletchley couldn't be released until sometime in the 80's (I think)
As a UK citizen I'm pretty disgusted that a lot of our landmarks and history, as well as worthwhile projects such as revived steam railway lines and 'sense' centres for severely disabled kids with people putting their own volunteer time in, are somehow getting turn down for National Lottery funding (there never is a solid reason given) and billions are being given to the waste of time and money that is the Olympics, largely because of corruption. Who's going to miss a few million going missing here and there? These are schemes and projects that only want a few tens or hundreds of thousands pounds as well.
This is exactly the sort of thing that the National Lottery was supposed to help, and exactly the sort of thing that has been let down.
Don't worry, the pathetic English hating UK government will spare no effort in wasting £17bn on an 2 week politicians / IOC orgy at the London Olympics games that only the freeloaders want (as opposed to the taxpayers who don't want it).
The things that are important to a nation are discarded, and what gives no benefit gets taxpayers money thrown at it like taxpayers money was going out of fashion.
Take Nobody's Word For It.
I was there a few years ago. Some of the exhibits were in WW2 vintage barracks (i.e. temporary buildings never meant to stand for more than 5 years, let alone 50. In one hut, there were puddles on the floor. The whole place is falling apart.
As for the argument 'you can always move the exhibits to the Science Museum and sell the land': The exhibits are important, but the accomodations themselves make a point that's worth remembering as well. The most vital project of the entire war was being run out of a collection of sheds, basically. To think that 9000 people worked there on the most advanced technology in existence back then, boggles the mind.
That the foundation setup by the man once made the richest in the world by the computing industry, declines to fund the museum documenting the crucible of the first programmable computing machines, such as Colossus.
Ingrates.
TFOAE
"Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation turned them down for financial assistance (since it doesn't have to do with the Internet)"
So Bill, there's no encryption used on the internet & no Microsoft programmer has ever used it to secure Microsoft systems (albeit poorly)?
Now perhaps I'm over-associating the Bletchley work. But I'd have to think, that at the very least, this is a "Good Cause" to support. But I believe a museum designation is long-overdue for Bletchley - or a Heritage building which must be preserved. A statue of some of the fine men and women who worked there might draw people's attention to their efforts. I think its because the people at Bletchley weren't soldiers that they haven't garnered public attention or praise which is why Bletchley remains in the condition its in. Its a sad reality when the artsy fartsies are the first one to always get new museums or funding for museums. And indeed, they're the ones who fight for buildings to be preserved for Historic reasons. Where are they in this case? These would have been the last people to pickup a rifle in WWII.
Members of the public probably don't know or understand (e.g. lack of knowledge of the military) the contributions at Bletchley. I'm not one to usually fight for heritage properties or a museum. But for goodness sake, the worked they did helped destroy countless U-boats (my Canadian grandfather worked on shipping lines crossing the Atlantic risking his neck each time he crossed and so many perished because of the U-Boats), helped gather countless intel on German operations, helped confirm the D-Day operation date and continued to spy on the Germans (just to make sure they weren't up to anything) after WWII. It saved the lives of countless Army, Air and Navy men and women of all nationalities that served in WWII on the European front. And, indirectly, because of this work, it helped put a stop to the Concentration Camps.
Why the hell are they not getting the due respect and attention that they so rightly desire? This is a disgrace. Were I British, I would be fighting for the preservation of this building. I'm not sure that as a Canadian, my words will count for much.
Anyone else immediately recognize the Enigma machine from the thumbnail while going through the article? I don't know whether to feel well educated or just old at 36. ;)
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They should have approached Nathan Myhrvold. He's got a Difference Engine now, I bet he'd love a Colossus.
These are just mouldering old buildings. Do we set aside some corner of London because someone famous did something there a long time ago? No. We move on and build newer better things. A better solution is to build a living museum by creating courses that teach kids how to build strong cryptographic tools. This will protect British business and help the average Brit defend themselves against fraudsters roaming the net. I think one classroom with free classes could do more to memorialize the spirit of Bletchley Park than a bunch of old buildings filled with dusty display cases.
They might try advertising to increase the number of visitors. I live less then 30 miles from the site and have never once seen any promotional material relating to it.
The few times I've been to the UK in recent times I've tried to visit Bletchley Park. Each time, the hours of the museum didn't work. In checking the website, I now see that things have improved considerably, but with an infant at home I likely won't be back to the UK any time soon :(
That is a question wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in an enigma.
Actually, the entire interesting portion of the museum could fit in a single room of, say, the Science Museum in London.
They also have a bunch of rather nice, second world war cars, but these are out of place in the museum, and mostly not apparent unless you really hunt around.
There may be a lot of interesting history regarding the site, but it has no chance of getting widespread public interest.
The reason is the same as that for the various Watermill restoration projects around the country (to pick an example of similer behaviour). It's designed to appeal to the people who work there, not to the public.
The walkthrough exhibits are cluttered, looking more like a succession of period junk shops, the code breaking huts look like crap, again poorly presented with little to make you want to look around, and the main building is, well, just a large empty house with a few signs up.
If they sell the site, the main house would be left untouched, it's a listed building. The huts? Well they may be protected, but I doubt it. More likely they'd be better off being dismantled and reassembled as a properly themed exhibit in a decent museum.
A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
Well in the last few years they've sold off a lot of the land they previously owned (modern housing estate being built there now) and you can indeed rent out some of the buildings, plus they rent the main areas out as function rooms.
Trouble is the UK is on the edge of a recession - you might have noticed housing prices being a bit dodgy in the USA recently? and so the office rental market is shrinking not growing. So it's a tough market to be in and 60 year old buildings in Bletchley, well, that's a tough sell compared to high tech office in central London (or even central Milton Keynes).
Alan Mathison Turing worked there and he was a homosexual.
I've been to Bletchley Park. The problem is that they have only a few things worth exhibiting, like the rebuilt bombe, the rebuilt Colossus, and some real crypto machines from WWII. One big gallery in a major museum could house the collection. But the place is a sizable estate. The famous "huts" aren't much to look at, and some of them are only concrete pads today. The manor house is in decent shape but an architectural mishmash not really worthy of preservation.
They also have a model railroad, a model boat club, an auto collection, a lake with swans, a collection of Churchill-was-here memorabilia, and, inevitably, a gift shop, like too many other English estates open to visitors.
Okay everyone, be honest.
How many of us only know or care about this because we really liked Cryptonomicon?
DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
you know, if Bletchley Park was serious about getting funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they would have put the Microsoft Windows logo on the building. And it really would have helped if they switched their server back to Windows/IIS/ASP instead of *nix/apache/rubyrails.
;-)
They must not have wanted Bill's money THAT badly.
They could also have offered to accept a couple of million to replace the website with MS Sliverlight. That would have been more likely to open the coffers of the B&MG foundation. IMO.
Kidding aside, Bletchley Park is an important part of the worlds history and should be preserved.
LoB
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
Land developers are invariable well fed, and they drive large vehicles whose handling is so bad that turning at a constant radius of curvature is impossible.
Seriously though, this should be part of the Imperial War Museum.
Squirrel!
The foundation has a 250 year lease on the lands. So, unless some shrewd developer has found a way of time traveling or getting paid to develop at some point in the far future (2250), there is nothing to worry about in the short term. Who knows maybe over the next 100 years or so, they can convince the government to take it over. However, England does have a lot of history, are you contending that they should preserve every place where something important happened over the last 2000 years? Maybe they should kick everyone out and turn the entire country into a museum? Or, maybe they could find a way of incorporating the important history but without using up all the available land mass in England. England after all doesn't have quite the same amount of land as the US, which can afford to have lots and lots of little bitty rinky-dink museums. That said, the museum doesn't seem to be suffering too, much for one that is only 8 years old. The lease was made in 2000, so this is a relativley new place and the poster is probably just trying to generate interest in it, to hopefully get more sponsors, etc. Something I would do, were I hired to try to promote some useful NPO. Although, attacking the B & M Gates foundation is a bad way of doing it. They do a lot of good work. I love to Bash Bill as much as the next guy, but this was out of line even for /. standards.
Lots of hate for Bletchley Park in these comments, surprisingly. Does anyone on /. think there's no value in museums or parks or art galleries? Should we stop funding them because people are starving? Maybe if we took a serious look at the problem of poverty instead of relying upon the Gates's and Rockefellers of the world (who are part of the problem), we'd be able to feed people and preserve culture.
For those that would label me as not pragmatic enough, I'd say take a look at the bloated military budget of the U.S. or U.K. Even a thin little wafer of the pie chart could preserve many Bletchley Parks. And potentially save lives, I'd add (by diverting funds from a war machine and putting them into social spending).
Geeks like to think that they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave you alone.-rms
Sell it to the Americans.
There is always one American with more money than sense, who can be persuaded that Bletchley Park is historic, and will ship it off to his Texas ranch brick by brick.
Though, given the plight of the dollar under Bush, perhaps we should look for a rich Arab....
I'm pretty sure all the Windows error message text is encrypted using Enigma before being displayed in a dialog box with an "OK" button
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It wasn't the location that made Bletchley Park what it was. It was the people.
Yerkes Observatory (in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, home of the world's largest refracting telescope) recently sold of a portion of its grounds to developers to be able to keep funding preservation of the observatory. Actually the Observatory itself was sold to developers, in agreement that they would donate it to the village of Williams Bay.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060607.yerkes.shtml
While I've heard Blechley Park is a pretty awesome tour, I've always been underwhelmed by tours at Yerkes...maybe the money can help their outreach program improve.
They did not lift a finger to protect Alan Turing — Bletchley Park's main hero — after the war. Why should the place, where he worked, fare any better?..
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
That's it. I'm sure exciting stuff was done IN this building - but the building is just a building. "The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to bringing innovations in health and learning to the global community." So - please explain how preserving a building is even remotely within their remit...
Yes, there were blitzes in the UK that caused quite a lot of damage to certain places (such as London). It's possible that Eastern Europe, caught in the middle, suffered even more. (I confess ignorance as to the relative damage). But overall, I don't think that Europe was destroyed by WWII.
I'm willing to bet that far more old buildings were knocked down or replaced during the post-war construction era, particularly the 1960s. Some of the buildings were probably damaged ones being replaced, but most of them were probably just old, poor-quality slums that were due for replacement- particularly in this bright new world. They may have been a delayed response to the war, but they mostly weren't a direct consequence of it.
Of course, most of those new buildings grew to be hated sooner rather than later (especially the stuff built during the 1960s when the boom of "modern" looking buildings was at its peak and before the backlash was in full swing). Many of them have in turn been knocked down(!)
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
MK didn't even exist when BP was doing its work, and its inclusion as part of modern MK is simply because it was swallowed up by the expansion of that city- architecturally and historically, it doesn't share the same origins.
And since BP isn't being sold by its surrounding location (either as part of MK or as something different), it's irrelevant. People who would have visited BP anyway will still visit it; it's not like they'll be expecting anonymous 1960s concrete architecture, and your attempt to tie in the two is silly.
Interesting fact; apparently parts of Superman IV were filmed in Milton Keynes (proper). Some people who've seen that film might think "figures"...
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
... was to shorten the war in Europe so that the A-Bombs fell on Japan and not Germany. BP is thus not just a part of English history, but that of Europe too. Has the current BP administration tried to get funding from EU sources?
Yes, the government will do little towards this, but _YOU_ can
help if you care.
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/contact/donation.rhtm
We've gotten this far and no Neal Stephenson references?
Shame!
Visiting these sites in person is chilling, and nothing like looking at a few photos online. The sites act as a focal point for community and expertese. They are authentic pieces of history, not Disney theme parks.
A Walmart-on-your-block to all those who think we should not preserve these kinds of places!
NCR Dayton Was where the US 4-rotor BOMBEs were manufactured, and Sugar Camp was where the WAVES workers were housed. There's a great book on it "The Secret in Building 26". http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Building-26-Americas-Against/dp/0375508074
The actual US codebreaking was done at Nebraska Avenue in DC, which is about to be re-purposed or sold as well. True, you can't save everything, but Bletchley is a small facility with a great history and the mansion alone is worth saving for its quirky architecture.
If the British Labour Government can easily waste thousands of pounds on telling pensioners on how best to wear there slippers without tripping over and other pointless policy exercises its dreamt up to waste tax payers cash which includes the Iraq war in the last ten years then I'm sure it can pull its finger out and duely look after our national heritage such as Bletchley Park, ok it may not be aid for Africa but by and large Britain will always find money for that no questions asked, yet its quite happy to see Britian's history decay to the point of being meaningless! ...if only those who worked at Bletchley could see what Britain has become after there had won efforts I guess they would question why they even bothered!