Library of Secrets, Serena Korda, Whitstable Biennale 2008. Photographer - Simon Steven. Image Courtesy of London Underground

Can you solve the Daily Telegraph crossword in under 12 minutes? That’s a tall order reputedly made of Second World War codebreakers, but if it takes you rather longer, you could still be part of a new art project inspired by the 1940s codebreaking centre, Bletchley Park.

Artist Serena Korda is looking for crossword enthusiasts to get involved with a new project commissioned by Art on the Underground, which is inspired both by the history of Bletchley Park and the current communities living in the area of Stanmore.

The project will create an artwork for the Underground station at Stanmore, end of the Jubilee Line and once home to an outpost of Bletchley. Serena often takes social history as the basis for her work, so the Bletchley connection and the role of crosswords in the recruitment of its codebreaking staff was perfect food for thought.

Serena has already met with local community groups to compile a range of words that relate to Stanmore’s communities. Now, in the spirit of Bletchley, she needs crossword enthusiasts to help create clues for the words. The recruited ‘Crossword Club’ will effectively assemble crosswords that represent today’s Stanmore and its communities.

Library of Secrets, Serena Korda, Whitstable Biennale 2008. Photographer - Simon Steven. Image Courtesy of London Underground

The crosswords will form an important part of the Stanmore Underground artwork, entitled The Answer Lies at the End of the Line.

“Crosswords have a long and rich connection with London Underground – they were also used to entertain people sheltering in the Tube during the Blitz,” said Serena.

“Today, many customers spend their journeys solving crosswords and other puzzles. I wanted to use crosswords and what they may reveal as a way of bringing together local communities in Stanmore.”

Art on the Underground is London Underground’s art programme, producing high calibre artworks in unexpected places on the network to enhance everyday journeys.

“We’re delighted to have commissioned Serena Korda,” said Tamsin Dillon, Director of Art on the Underground, “and that she is developing such an intriguing project – through her work at Stanmore I’m sure she will bring together a diverse group of people who may be surprised by what they also can contribute to the Art on the Underground project.”

If you would like to get involved in the Crossword Club, phone 020 7027 8694 or email plat4art@tube.tfl.gov.uk. The club will meet weekly from 2pm on Monday February 25 at Bernays Memorial Hall (Glebe Road entrance), 25 The Broadway, Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4DA.