Bletchley Park secures £4.6m grant to restore code breaking huts

The Bletchley Park Trust has secured a grant of £4.6m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore some of the code breaking huts at the historic site, but still needs contributions to help create an exhibition and visitor centre.

Bletchley Park, home to the UK's main effort to intercept and decode enemy communications during the Second World War, was neglected after the end of hostilities, leading to recent fears that much of the site might be condemned and demolished.

However, the latest round of funding will allow the Bletchley Park Trust to restore code breaking huts 1, 3 and 6, largely used for the decoding and analysis of army and air force messages.

The funds will also contribute towards creating a visitor centre and exhibition in the currently derelict Block C, but this will require matched funding of £1.7m.

The Bletchley Park Trust is now aiming to work with other funding bodies to secure the money needed for this work to begin.

"I cannot think of a better use of Heritage Lottery Fund money than to support this project and, in so doing, honour the memory of all who were involved," said Heritage Lottery Fund chief Carole Souter in a statement.

The project is also endorsed by celebrity savant Stephen Fry, who welcomed the investment and urged further support for the rest of the Trust's financial requirements.

"This investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund will finally enable the Trust to do justice to this amazing place in tribute to the tremendous intellectual feat of those who worked there," he said.

"Now we must all see that the Trust is given every support it needs in order to raise the match funding required to make this project a wonderful reality."

Google recently pledged its support to the fund raising campaign to help restore Bletchley Park, while the Trust also succeeded in saving documents once owned by Alan Turing.