Bletchly Park and Holland Park

Today, Friday 14 October, we took the train from Euston Station to Bletchley and walked to Bletchly Park where the WWII decoders cracked the German Enigma codes and Alan Turing essentially invented the computer. It was an interesting visit, and the house is a particularly interesting Victorian purchased during the war by MI6 as a secret center for decoding. Returning to London we tubed and bussed to Holland Park for a visit to Fredrick Lord Layton's house with its quirky exotic interior. The neighborhood is a treat with all kinds of great houses. Our drain is backed up so we returned home and waited for the plumber and ate Marks and Spencer food.

 The Lake at Bletchley Park

 The Mansion

 I don't know what the room was used for origianlly, but most 

rooms became offices

 Like this one for example

 This ballroom-like space was for relaxing

 An impressive mantelpiece and glass ceiling

 They drove American Packards 

Someone doesn't know how to take a left-handed selfie, so the right

hand will have to suffice

 Decoding machines

 Holland Park Neighborhood

 A beautiful medieval concoction

 The exterior of Lord Leighton's house gives no clue to the interior

 Exotic!

 Beautiful tile

 The studio is an impressive room

 Just outside the gate of Holland Park

 The remains of Holland House

 Headed back to Notting Hill past Observatory Gardens, a

fantastic  row of French-style Victorian terrace houses

  The Windsor Castle, a Campden-Hill pub

An exciting day, made even more exciting by a clogged sewer pipe that won't be fixed until tomorrow. Oh well. That's all for now.

OXO

D.