New blue plaque in Wilmslow commemorates Alan Turing
A new heritage plaque has been unveiled in Wilmslow in memory of pioneering mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing, who spent the final years of his life in the Cheshire town.
By Cheshire Today
A new blue heritage plaque has been installed in Wilmslow to commemorate pioneering mathematician, codebreaker and computer scientist Alan Turing.
Wilmslow Town Council has funded the plaque at Sparrow Park in Bank Square, recognising Turing’s extraordinary contribution to wartime codebreaking, modern computing and the early development of artificial intelligence.
Turing lived in Wilmslow from 1950 until his death in 1954, making the town an important part of the final chapter of his life.
His home was Copper Folly at 43 Adlington Road, where he lived while working at the University of Manchester.
By then, Turing had already played a crucial role in Britain’s wartime intelligence operation.
During the Second World War he worked at Bletchley Park, where he helped develop methods for deciphering German military communications and designed the Bombe machine used in the effort to break Enigma-encrypted messages.
His influence extended far beyond wartime codebreaking.
After the war, Turing worked on some of Britain’s earliest computers before joining the University of Manchester in 1948.
His research there helped establish ideas that remain fundamental to computer science and artificial intelligence today.
In 1950, while living in Wilmslow, he published his influential paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence, which opened with the question: “Can machines think?”
The paper proposed an experiment that became known as the Turing Test, designed to consider whether a machine could demonstrate intelligent behaviour indistinguishable from that of a human.
More than 75 years later, the questions Turing raised have gained renewed significance with the rapid development of modern artificial intelligence.
The new Wilmslow plaque also acknowledges the injustice he experienced during his lifetime.
Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for a homosexual relationship at a time when sexual activity between men was illegal.
He pleaded guilty to gross indecency and accepted probation conditional on undergoing hormonal treatment rather than imprisonment.
Turing died in 1954 at the age of 41.
Decades later, the British Government formally apologised for his treatment and Queen Elizabeth II granted him a posthumous royal pardon in 2013.
His case subsequently gave its name to legislation commonly known as “Turing’s Law”.
Introduced in 2017, the measures provided posthumous pardons to thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of historical offences involving consensual same-sex relationships which are no longer crimes.
Wilmslow Town Mayor Councillor Sally Harrison said the town was honoured to recognise one of its most significant former residents.
She described Turing as a “brilliant visionary” whose contribution to world history continues to influence everyday life.
The mayor said the plaque also acknowledges the unjust treatment he endured and the significance of the legislation subsequently named after him.
Councillor Jon Kelly proposed the idea for the plaque and helped take the project forward.
Turing’s connections with Wilmslow are also explored on a heritage information board outside Wilmslow Library.
The new plaque at Sparrow Park provides another permanent reminder in the town centre of a man whose work helped change both Britain’s wartime history and the development of modern computing.