183-185 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK2 2ED
Bletchley is best known as the World War II headquarters of Britain’s famous codebreakers – Bletchley Park. Sir Herbert Leon, a wealthy stockbroker, had bought the estate in 1882 and was key in its development. In 1937, the estate passed into government hands. Then, an undercover MI6 group arrived using the name ‘Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party’, with ‘an air of friends enjoying a weekend at a country house’. Their real purpose was to see whether Bletchley Park would work as a wartime location.
An illustration of Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party.
An illustration of Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party.
A copy of a crossword from the Telegraph.
The text reads: In 1942 the Telegraph newspaper upped the intensity of their crosswords, challenging readers to solve them in 12 minutes during a live timed event. With the war office looking in, each of the fastest solvers received a letter inviting them to work at Bletchley Park. A copy of the crossword in question was printed in the paper the day after the challenge, on 13 January 1942.
An illustration and text about Alan Turing.
The text reads: Turing is perhaps most famous for his work during World War II at the code breaking centre in Bletchley Park. There he and others broke a number of German codes, including that of the Enigma machine.
An Enigma machine.
An old telephone used in the war.
A poster for The Imitation Game.
A film about Alan Turing and his attempt to crack the Enigma code.
Old signage for the London Brick Company Limited.
External photograph of the building – main entrance.
If you have information on the history of this pub, then we’d like you to share it with us. Please e-mail all information to: pubhistories@jdwetherspoon.co.uk