The National Museum of Computing – Acorns, Colossi, Spectrums and a Witch

Inside the BBC Micro at the National Museum of Computing

I recently visited the National Museum of Computing for a Guardian Government Computing article, which you can read here. I also took a lot of photos – here are some of my highlights, all of which are mentioned in the article. Click on an image for a larger version and caption.

If you’re interested in the history of computing, both Bletchley Park in general and the museum specifically are well worth a visit. It’s also worth finding out more about Alan Turing, genius, key contributor to the invention of computing at Bletchley Park and owner of Porgy (top-left): his centenary is on 23 June.

I’ve previously written about the history of computing, specifically on Parc Xerox and the word email.

Alan Turing's teddy bear Porgy face on
Alan Turing’s teddy bear Porgy at Bletchley Park

Update, 25 July: due the popularity of the picture of Porgy, Alan Turing’s teddy bear, here’s the chance to meet the bear face to face. More about him here (see end of post).

If you’re interested in Alan Turing, a private members bill has been introduced into parliament to pardon him for ‘gross indecency’ (in other words, being a gay man). More from co-sponsor John Leech MP here, and this is where you can sign the e-petition.

One thought on “The National Museum of Computing – Acorns, Colossi, Spectrums and a Witch”

  1. I’ve been meaning to get down to the museum at Bletchley Park for a couple of years now! My main problem is that I’d probably need to make a weekend of it and I struggle to find someone who shares the interest enough to come along with me!

    But it’s definitely on my “bucket list” 🙂

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