The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park has virtually opened its doors for anyone to visit and take a tour of the world’s largest collection of working historic computers.
The virtual tour has been made possible thanks to funding from the MK Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, which provides grants to local charities.
While the museum’s doors are closed through the pandemic, local residents can either take a virtual stroll through a 3D simulated tour or with one of the museum’s local experts for a live virtual guided tour. The tour guides – the majority of whom are local to Milton Keynes – will share their wisdom and knowledge about the 50,000 artefacts housed in the museum.
The goal of the museum is to stay connected with the local community of supporters and volunteers – especially those who are self-isolating and unable to leave the house currently – while also opening the virtual doors to others that have not previously visited with an engaging, educational, fun and interactive experience.
Highlights of the virtual tour include:
- The 1940s and the computers that helped win the Second World War. These include famous codebreaking machines such as a rebuild of Colossus and replica of Alan Turing’s Bombe.
- The first commercial computers of the 1950s. TNMOC’s collection includes the world’s oldest working digital computer - the 2.5 tonne Harwell Dekatron/WITCH that employed vacuum tubes as a precursor to modern computer memory.
- Giant, room-sized mainframes that became the first systems to be widely adopted by companies around the world. These were some of the first computers to use transistors, which made them reliable and capable of being mass-produced.
- The PC gallery – home to a generation of systems that sparked a revolution in business and home computing. The museum’s display includes innovative and pioneering designs from British icons such as Sinclair, Amstrad and Acorn and their US rivals Apple and Commodore.
The tours contain images, videos, documents and other interactive elements – available for free here. The museum will also offer a paid-for virtual curated tour for ten people, offering a more personal experience, with details on how to book this available here soon.
Dr Andrew Herbert, Chairman of TNMOC, said: “The coronavirus pandemic and the necessary restrictions are making us think in new ways about displaying our story of computing to the public. The 3D virtual and live curated tours are helping us stay connected and also to break through to reach new audiences, which is especially important during this pandemic.”
The TNMOC is heavily involved in the local Milton Keynes community and recently announced a partnership with the South Central Institute of Technology at Milton Keynes College.
The museum plans to reopen its physical doors on 8th September 2020, and will be offering 20% off of tickets. Click here to purchase tickets in advance.
