Address: Block H, Bletchley Park, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB, United Kingdom
Phone: +441908374708
Rating: 4.7
based on 384 reviews.
Staff and Volunteers
Pros:
"The staff here are the best guides you could hope to find anywhere."
"Every member of staff very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions."
"The staff (mostly volunteers) are extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful."
"The volunteers clearly love what they do and explain everything and more if you ask."
"The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly."
"They have retired mathematicians and computer scientists doing the detailed explanations which were surprisingly 'accessible' to the lay person."
"The volunteers at the Enigma and Lorenz rooms are very knowledgeable about the fine details of the enciphering and codebreaking machines."
Cons:
"Very interesting place for computer enthusiasts, but be aware that you can be unlucky with your guide."
"The volunteers did not interact with the customers aside from one who was intent on trying to outwit a six year old."
"Exhibits scattered around with no explanation making them feel random exhibits."
"The cafe/gift shop is a letdown."
"Part of the museum was closed but still totally worth the visit to see those legendary machines."
"It's not worth the extortionate price of tickets, as it costs as much as Bletchley park if you have kids."
"The only downside is that their website directs you to buy tickets through Eventbrite who add a 15%-20% 'service charge' to the ticket price."
Exhibits and Facilities
Pros:
"This place is amazing. To see so much iconic 'moments' of computer history from up close."
"They have the oldest working computer in the world, the Dekatron."
"They have computers from WW2 all the way up to brand new stuff like an Oculus Rift and Sphero Bolts."
"The museum made them available for visitors to play retro games (such as Pacman) on them."
"An excellent collection of historical computers, lots of hands-on microcomputers and even some consoles and video games."
"Unlike other museums they have most of the machines running which is an experience well worth having."
"Many of the computers on display are in working order and can even be used."
Cons:
"However, due to the noise of the machines themselves and other staff shouting to each other / answering telephones / other visitors it was quite difficult to hear the staff giving demonstrations."
"The rest of the museum was less interesting for me even as a computer enthusiast..."
"The rest of the museum was pretty confusing in its layout, and more of an old storage house full of disused computers."
"But it felt very scruffy and tired. There was not enough information on exhibits, it could be more interactive, my kids who love computers were very bored."
"80/90 section a bit better, but still poorly organised with very few machines working."
"In 60/70 section nothing works, it looks very sad, like an old refrigerator store."
"Little hard to find, this museum is obviously greatly loved but in need of a lot of tlc."
Value and Accessibility
Pros:
"Overall, worth a visit. Great value for the price."
"Fairly inexpensive and completely worth the money. Free parking as well!"
"Absolutely incredible value at just £7.50 per adult."
"At around a third of the admission price of the main Bletchley Park museum we felt it was better value."
"Very reasonable ticket prices, lots to look at and to use."
"Absolute must if you're visiting Bletchley Park! Entry was just £4."
"Easy to negotiate in a wheelchair, ample parking, restricted numbers entry means it's not crowded and you can see the displays easily."
Cons:
"If visiting in the summer make sure you bring plenty of water as it gets hot."
"Check the opening times with them if you're travelling some distance as I was only able to see a portion of the exhibits due to lack of volunteers."
"They should really find a way to double the size of the place, it's all over too fast."
"As good as nearby Bletchley park. Trouble is, you spend most of the day in Bletchley Park, and then only have an hour or so at the end of the day here... which is way too short."
"It's not worth the extortionate price of tickets, as it costs as much as Bletchley park if you have kids."
"The catering facilities are somewhat limited (prepacked sandwiches and tea/coffee from a machine)."
"Such a shame we didn't know it was a separate museum to the main Bletchley park which we were directed in to by staff outside."
Learning and Engagement
Pros:
"A truly wonderful day out for an old geek like me 🤓 (but you don't need to be quite as mad-passionate as me to really enjoy this)."
"We were wowed by the knowledge and informative delivery of the resident experts."
"This is a mind-blowing experience. Fantastic history, wonderful exhibits and huge amounts of learning."
"A really fantastic and fascinating day out. Most of the computer work and there's plenty of opportunity to speak to the people who know them inside out and maintain them."
"The live demonstrations of the machines were really great."
"The exhibits are really impressive, they have working examples of the actual Enigma decoding and Colossus machines, well informed and interesting volunteers."
"This is an extraordinary museum tracing the evolution of computing from the slide-rule to modern day computing."
Cons:
"Not really for those who don't have any technical knowledge of computers."
"Great experience but not for the casual observer. Everyone is very knowledgeable about each system and they provide such detailed descriptions of code breaking."
"Beware & Watch out! The National Museum of Computing is not supported by the Bletchley Park Museum and there is real animosity between the institutions."
"The volunteers did not interact with the customers aside from one who was intent on trying to outwit a six year old."
"I was a bit disappointed in the displays that were not related to codebreaking. The information panels were not as easy to follow as those for the codebreaking machines."
"Exhibits scattered around with no explanation making them feel random exhibits."
"Only disappointing note of the day which cannot be blamed on the museum is the state of the outside buildings and surroundings which are showing signs of disrepair and lack of care from the landlords."