Olympic torch to visit Bletchley Park

The Olympic flame will come to Bletchley Park on its 2012 journey to London, the home of UK World War Two code-breaking has announced.

The Bletchley Park Trust is in the process of negotiating the exact route that the Olympic torch and its entourage will take around the grounds of the park on 9 July 2012, trust director Simon Greenish told ZDNet UK on Monday. The torch will probably be run up to 'the oval' roadway in front of Bletchley Park mansion for some circuits, said Greenish.

"It's another example of people at long last recognising the historical value of this site," said Greenish. "Bletchley Park is one of the most important sites of 20th century Britain, and it is important that it will be showcased during the Olympics."

Bletchley Park has a number of wooden huts that were used for code-breaking work, some of which have been granted funds for restoration, should Bletchley Park raise sufficient funds.

Greenish said that the route of the Olympic flame would not be near the wooden huts.

"I don't think the flame is seriously hot, but it won't be taken anywhere near the huts," said Greenish.

London 2012 organisers approached Bletchley Park "several weeks ago" to suggest that the torch pass through Bletchley Park, said Greenish.

London 2012 published the route of the Olympic torch relay on Monday. The torch will start its journey at Land's End in Cornwall on Saturday 19 May, and end its journey on Friday 27 July at the Olympic Stadium, having visited Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, and the Channel Islands. The torch will take 70 days on its relay journey, and will be carried by 8,000 runners.