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| Established | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Location | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire |
| Type | Computers |
| Director | Lizzie Salter |
Public transit access | Newmarket Road |
| Parking | On site |
| Website | computinghistory |
The Centre for Computing History is a computer museum in Cambridge, England, established to create a permanent public exhibition telling the story of the Information Age.[1]
The museum acts as a repository for vintage computers and related artefacts. The museum is open Wednesdays through to Sundays from 10am to 5pm in term time and 7 days a week during school holidays.[2] On display are key items from the early era of computers (and even before) from ageing comptometers through the Altair 8800 to the ZX Spectrum and Apple II. The museum also holds vintage games consoles, peripherals, software and an extensive collection of computer manuals, magazines and other literature. It is home to the world's largest microprocessor, known as the Megaprocessor, a Guinness World Record-breaking version of a computer chip, designed by James Newman.[3]
The Centre for Computing History (CCH) began in 2006, when a new ‘hands-on’ museum of personal computing was an idea in the collective mind of three friends, one of whom, Jason Fitzpatrick, owned an extensive collection of computing-related artefacts. The other two founders were Elaine Symonds and Dr Lisa McGerty. The centre is a registered educational charity.[4] It is funded by a combination of sponsors from local businesses and private individuals. Venture capitalist and entrepreneur Hermann Hauser was involved with funding discussions.[5] He became patron of the museum in December 2011, 30 years after the launch of the BBC Micro.[6] The museum is run by a board of trustees chaired by Gareth Marlow.[7]
The Centre moved to a 10,500 sq ft (980 m2) site in Rene Court, off Coldham's Lane in the east side of Cambridge in summer 2013.[8][9][10] The museum was originally located in Haverhill, Suffolk. Plans to relocate the museum to Cambridge,[11] led to a report in October 2011 that negotiations were underway for a site.[5] The museum was informed in June 2012 that planning permission for the new Cambridge site had been granted, subject to complying with current building regulations.[12]
In March 2019, the museum was granted Accredited Museum status by Arts Council England (ACE).[13] The Accreditation Scheme sets out nationally agreed standards, which inspire the confidence of the public and funding and governing bodies. It enables museums to assess their current performance, as well as supporting them to plan and develop their services.
The Centre for Computing History runs regular educational activities for schools and the general public. These range from programming workshops using 1980s BBC Micros to gaming tours to coding using software like Scratch for the Raspberry Pi.[citation needed]
The centre collects and preserves historical computing related artefacts and has undertaken a project to preserve the data from the BBC Domesday Project and make it available online. They already have data from both the National Disk and Community Disk online and are currently investigating copyright issues before releasing the URL to the general public.[14] The centre's oldest working machine is their Elliott 903,[15] which is regularly demonstrated; other important artefacts in the centre's collection include a prototype ZX Spectrum,[16] Professor Steve Furber's Computer Group prototype and a NeXT computer signed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
In June 2017, some of the centre's volunteers received recognition for their contributions to the museum at the annual SHARE Museums East Volunteer Awards.[17]
In 2017 and 2018, the museum was heavily involved in the Butlin's Astonishing Science weekends, taking a time line of computers and consoles, to show the advancement of technology through the years. Also having 8 BBC Micros and Raspberry Pis alongside them for completion of various programming tasks, including Robots, disco lights, and creating pixel characters.
In October 2018, the centre received lottery funding for a project on LEO computers, in partnership with the LEO Computers Society.[18][19] The project, Swiss Rolls, Tea and the Electronic Office: A History of LEO, the First Business Computer, aims to bring together, preserve, archive and digitise a range of LEO Computers artefacts, documents and personal memories to share the largely unknown story of LEO with a new audience. The project includes plans to develop a virtual reality replica of the LEO I.[20]
The centre was awarded an Object of The Year award from 'Museums in Cambridgeshire' in November 2019 for their Sinclair ZX Spectrum prototype, donated earlier that year from a company that had worked on it during its development.[21]
The centre is regularly recognised as a top attraction, with a 2024 and 2025 Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice awards, placing it in the top 10% of attractions worldwide.[22]
In September 2024 the centre collaborated with Orca Scan and Datalogic to launch a temporary exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of the first retail barcode being scanned. The History of Barcodes exhibition highlighted the significant role that barcodes have played in computing history by linking a physical product to its digital identity.[23]
The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, run by the Museums Association, awarded the Centre for Computing History a £93,200 grant for a two year project, 'Broken Tech: Broken Earth', which began in November 2024.[24] This initiative aims to engage the local community in exploring the environmental and social impacts of the tech boom.
With their collection of over 13,000 video games,[25] the centre also has a video game preservation initiative,[26] and information for every object in the museum collection is accessible via the online catalogue. As part of preservation, they digitally archive source code for games such as the Magic Knight series by David Jones,[27] and preserve and host scans of original sketches and other development materials from game companies such as Guerrilla Games. Their work emphasises the importance of preserving all aspects of the experience of a game, from marketing materials to the copy protection experience, packaging, and hardware.[28] The centre's collection also hosts uncommon hardware and operating systems. They are also working with current video game developers and publishers, acting as a repository for their ongoing work so that it is actively preserved.[29]
Prior to receiving accredited museum status, the centre loaned artefacts for film and TV productions, helping with props and sets for The IT Crowd, Brits Who Made the Modern World[30] on Channel Five with Peter Snow. In April 2009 it produced the Gadget Hall of Fame[31] stand at The Gadget Show Live exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham. In December 2018, the centre was involved in a groundbreaking interactive Netflix episode of Black Mirror called Bandersnatch.[32]
[...] Fitzpatrick says negotiations are now underway on a 10,000 sq ft site on Coldham's Road [...]
Dr Hermann Hauser has been named as patron of the new Centre for Computing History in Cambridge UK. [...] agreed to take on the important role 30 years after the company he co-founded – Acorn Computers – unveiled the BBC Micro [...]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
The Centre for Computing History is a computer museum in Cambridge, England, established to create a permanent public exhibition telling the story of the Information Age.
The following museums and art galleries are located in Cambridge, England: Cambridge Museum of Technology – Housed in the sewage pumping station, print room and old machines, local industries and equipment Cambridge Science Centre – Interactive museum of science and technology Cambridge University Library – Events held in the Exhibition Centre Cambridge University Museum of Zoology – University of Cambridge – Specimens and skeletons of fossils, animals, insects and birds from around the world Centre for Computing History – Museum telling the story of the Information Age Fitzwilliam Museum – University of Cambridge – Museum with collections of art, manuscripts, coins, medals, and antiquities Heong Gallery – Modern and contemporary art gallery at Downing College Kettle's Yard – University of Cambridge Art gallery with collections of contemporary and modern art Lawrence Room at Girton College – features Anglo-Saxon, Egyptian and Mediterranean artefacts Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology – University of Cambridge Archaeological and anthropological artefacts and photographs from around the world, including a totem pole Museum of Cambridge – Museum of the history of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, regional folklore and local life Museum of Classical Archaeology – University of Cambridge – Museum of plaster casts of classical Greek and Roman statues and sculpture People's Portraits Exhibition at Girton College – exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters showing 'ordinary' British people at the verge of the 21st century Round Church Visitor Centre – History of the Round Church, the development of Cambridge and the university Ruskin Gallery – art gallery of Anglia Ruskin University Sedgwick Museum – University of Cambridge Museum of fossil animals and plants, dinosaurs, and rocks and minerals The Polar Museum – University of Cambridge – Museum dedicated to the history and science of Arctic and Antarctic exploration The Women's Art Collection at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge – Gallery and collection of modern and contemporary art by female artists Whipple Museum of the History of Science – University of Cambridge Scientific instruments, models and displays on the history of science, dating from medieval times to the present day
A computer museum is devoted to the study of historic computer hardware and software, where a “museum” is a “permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment”, as defined by the International Council of Museums. Some computer museums exist within larger institutions, such as the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom; and the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany. Others are dedicated specifically to computing, such as: the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, United States. the American Computer & Robotics Museum in Bozeman, Montana, United States. the Heinz Nixdorf Forum (HNF) in Paderborn, Germany. The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, United Kingdom. The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, United Kingdom the Nexon Computer Museum in Jeju Province. South Korea. Some specialize in the early history of computing, others in the era that started with the first personal computers such as the Apple I and Altair 8800, Apple II systems, older Mac models, Amiga, IBM PCs and rarer computers such as the Osborne 1. Some concentrate more on research and conservation, others more on education and entertainment. There are also private collections, most of which can be visited by appointment.
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is an Indian autonomous scientific society, operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
