While it waits for the green light to welcome visitors back, the Science and Industry Museum has lifted the mystery on a new, free exhibition that will launch as soon as its doors reopen.
Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security will explore communications intelligence and cyber security over the course of 100 years. It has been curated by the Science Museum Group with the help of expert advisors, GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence and cyber agency.
Visitors will uncover the remarkable world of codebreaking, ciphers and secret communications through extraordinary objects, interactive puzzles and first-person interviews. They can explore the challenges of maintaining digital security in the 21st century and the unique technologies used throughout the history of one of the UK’s intelligence agencies. From the First World War to the latest in cyber security, fascinating stories will be revealed via hand-written documents, declassified files and artefacts from the Science Museum Group’s and GCHQ’s historic collections.
Amongst over 100 objects in the exhibition that reveal fascinating stories of communications intelligence and cyber security from the last century are cipher machines used during the Second World War, secure telephones of the type used by British Prime Ministers, and an encryption key used by Her Majesty The Queen.
The exhibition will also showcase the ingenious work of Alan Turing, whose story is intrinsically tied to Manchester, through items that have been introduced to the exhibition specifically for its run in the city. These include marketing materials featuring Turing for the Ferranti Mark 1 computer, one of world’s first commercially available digital computers, a delegates list with Turing’s name on it for the inaugural Manchester University Computing Machine Conference in 1951, and correspondence between Turing and Eric Jones, the then-director of GCHQ. It will also tell the story of Alan Turing and the people at Bletchley Park who broke the German Enigma and Lorenz cipher systems, allowing the British to read some enemy messages and arguably shorten the Second World War.
Sleuths in the making can also take their own tour around the exhibition with a specially designed trail to help uncover the remarkable people and stories in the exhibition, and which also reveals the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills in maintaining national security.
Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors safely back through our doors. Preparations to safely reopen are well underway, ensuring we can respond quickly to any further Government announcements. It’s especially exciting to be able to offer such an inspiring new experience to visitors through the Top Secret exhibition, which will bring an additional opportunity to explore ideas that changed and continue to shape the world.
“This exhibition tells the incredibly important story of the hidden work that goes into keeping us safe every day. With the help of GCHQ, our expert advisors on the exhibition, we’ll be revealing some of the previously hidden histories of the UK’s intelligence community. Alan Turing’s story – so important to Manchester’s computing history – is particularly inspiring. There’s a real need for a new generation of code-breakers, and this exhibition really demonstrates the vital role they can play to keep us safe in the digital age.”
The exhibition also explores the work of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which works to defend against cyberattacks. Visitors will be able to see a computer infected with the WannaCry ransomware which, in 2017, affected thousands of people and organisations including the NHS.
Director GCHQ, Jeremy Fleming, said: “GCHQ has been at the heart of the nation’s security for over 100 years and to this day it gives the country a strategic edge – helping to protect the country, its people and our way of life.
“We want to give people from across the country a glimpse into our secret history, world-leading innovation and most of all brilliant people who continue to keep the country safe today. So I’m delighted Top Secret has moved to Manchester. It is where we recently opened a city centre office and is already home to hundreds of our staff.
“At GCHQ we believe with the right mix of minds anything is possible. When it’s safe for people to visit, we hope Top Secret intrigues, excites and maybe even inspires the next generation of recruits from the area to consider a career with us.”
The Science and Industry Museum has been closed since 5 November due to Government coronavirus restrictions. Work is underway to prepare for when the Government gives the green light for indoor entertainment venues to reopen. The Top Secret exhibition is fully installed and awaiting the arrival of its first visitors.
Top Secret originally opened at the Science Museum in London to coincide with GCHQ’s centenary in 2019. Its tenure in Manchester is especially significant following the opening of GCHQ’s newest site at the heart of the city. GCHQ is pioneering a new kind of national security from the Heron House offices, mentoring start-ups on tech challenges and working with universities on some of the most pressing national security challenges. From its Manchester office and other sites across the country, its people use cutting-edge technology, technical ingenuity and world leading partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats in an increasingly complex world. GCHQ works closely with MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), law enforcement, the military and international partners to counter real-world and online threats from nation states, criminal groups, terrorists and individuals.
It is also significant as the inaugural exhibition to be hosted in the Science and Industry Museum’s new £5m Special Exhibitions Gallery. Designed by award-winning architectural practice Carmody Groarke, working alongside Manchester building contractor HH Smith & Sons, the new gallery has transformed the lower ground floor of the museum’s Grade II listed New Warehouse to reveal grand industrial beauty with stunning modern and sustainable design. Visiting Top Secret will be the first time members of the public have been able to visit the space as a gallery.
Tickets will be made available for Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security as soon as the museum’s reopening dates are confirmed. The exhibition is free, but booking is essential. To be the first to receive news of the reopening and to book a ticket, sign up to the museum’s mailing list, or visit https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/top-secret for up to date information.
