What if I told you that toasters and the computers that once filled entire rooms have something in common? Welcome to The Centre for Computing History. This museum in Cambridge tells the story of the Information Age. It is a story of innovation and change. The Centre for Computing History acts as a repository for vintage computers. It preserves related artifacts for future generations.
The Centre for Computing History is open Wednesdays through Sundays. It is open 7 days a week during school holidays. You can explore key items from computing history here. See aging comptometers and the Altair 8800. The ZX Spectrum and Apple II are also on display. The Centre for Computing History also has vintage game consoles. Peripherals, software and manuals are all here too. Don’t miss the Megaprocessor. James Newman designed this enormous computer chip.
The Centre for Computing History is a registered educational charity. Sponsors fund it. Hermann Hauser is a patron of the museum. He became involved 30 years after the launch of the BBC Micro. Gareth Marlow chairs the board of trustees.
In summer 2013, The Centre for Computing History moved to Rene Court. This location is off Coldham’s Lane in Cambridge. The museum was originally in Haverhill, Suffolk. In March 2019, Arts Council England granted the museum Accredited Museum status.
The Centre for Computing History runs educational activities. Schools and the public can participate. There are programming workshops using 1980s BBC Micros. Gaming tours and coding using Raspberry Pi are available. The centre loans artifacts for film and TV productions. It helped with props for The IT Crowd and Brits Who Made the Modern World.
The Centre for Computing History preserves historical computing artifacts. It has undertaken a project to preserve data from the BBC Domesday Project. The museum’s oldest working machine is the Elliott 903. Other important artifacts include a ZX Spectrum prototype. Professor Steve Furber’s Computer Group prototype is here. A NeXT computer signed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee is also on display.
The Centre for Computing History has a leading video game preservation initiative. It has over 13000 video games. The online catalog provides information for every object. The centre digitally archives source code for games. They preserve original sketches from game companies. The museum emphasizes preserving all aspects of a game.
The Centre for Computing History is more than a museum. It hosts hands-on exhibitions and a wide range of activities. It also has a shop. The Centre for Computing History makes the history of computing fun for all. Cambridge has a long history in computing. This makes it the perfect place for this museum.
Almost everything on display is useable. Visitors can learn about old computers and games consoles. They can also try them out. The friendly staff are happy to help visitors. They can show you specific items from the collection.