Intelligence Factory

The Intelligence Factory tells a key part of the Bletchley Park story – how its potential as an intelligence organization was unleashed in the second half of World War Two as it rapidly expanded its workforce. Their challenge was to convert a mountain of intercepted enemy communications into actionable intelligence that would ultimately help with the war.



Bletchley Park’s impact came from the combined work of thousands of people, mainly women, doing a wide range of tasks that went well beyond codebreaking – analyzing, rather than just decoding and reading enemy messages. Bletchley Park’s staff faced unprecedented challenges. How they met these challenges is still felt in the way we communicate, innovate and stay secure today.



For the first time in Bletchley Park’s history, visitors can now explore Block A, a newly restored wartime building at the heart of the historic World War Two Codebreaking site that housed the Naval Section. As the authentic setting for The Intelligence Factory exhibition, visitors can explore history in the exact place where it happened.



Our design activates Block A, bringing stories of the crucial activity that happened here to life, from tracking Allied and enemy vessels, to handling vast quantities of information and recruiting, feeding and housing thousands of staff.



Visitors can view Bletchley Park through multiple lenses – from intimate portraits of staff; to the day-to-day operations of whole teams, to the challenges involved in keeping Bletchley’s entire operation afloat. Snapshots of the present day reveal Bletchley Park’s enduring relevance and legacy, from tackling cybercrime to supplying intelligence to soldiers in the field today.