Before he ‘invented’ the computer & broke German codes, Alan Turing’s career began at King’s College, Cambridge. Step into Turing’s Cambridge of the 1930s, read his letters home & learn the secrets of the man who became the world’s greatest computer geek!
Alan Turing’s ingenious approach to tackling one of the great mathematical questions of his generation was to suggest an ambitious ‘computing machine’ which we know today as the computer. But Turing didn’t stop there.
At Bletchley Park (the home of Allied code breakers in World War II on the outskirts of Milton Keynes) Turing went on to turn the theoretical into the applied with the creation of the ‘bombe’ machine, used to crack German naval codes. Turing’s war-time efforts and post-war research into artificial intelligence opened the door to the computer age.
From an early age, Turing showed great promise as an inventor. At elementary school he invented his own fountain pen, designed a new typewriter and began to teach himself organic chemistry at the age of 12.
Following the sudden tragic death of his best friend in 1930 while at Sherborne Preparatory School, Turing turned even closer to discovery and research in an effort to answer one of life’s greatest questions - namely the separation of mind and body. This led him to King’s College at Cambridge and onward to Bletchley Park, to Princeton University, where he completed his PhD, and finally Manchester where he created the forerunner of the modern computer.
It all began in 1931 at King’s College, Cambridge. Step back into those early days and see the College as it was before World War II, read Turing’s letters home, and meet the man who became the world’s greatest computer geek!
Advisements: The footpaths at King’s College are cobbled and can be uneven. Tourists are not permitted inside any buildings other than the Chapel for which their ticket allows them entry. Please do not walk on the grass or enter any areas marked ‘private.
Special Tour Requirements: King’s College, Cambridge is private, but tourists are permitted to enter with an admission ticket. The ticket enables you to visit the world famous Chapel and tour the public areas of the College. Tickets are available from The Shop at King’s on King’s Parade and from the Chapel Kiosk at the North Gate. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £5.00 for concessions (last entry is 4.30pm). The College is closed for six weeks in early May to mid-June for the exam period. (Dates are available on the website http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk).
Tracy Wilkinson