Bletchley Park to house Museum of Computing

Block H to host working 1960s mainframes

Ian Williams, vnunet.com 13 Jul 2007

The Codes and Ciphers Heritage Trust (CCHT) is to establish a National Museum of Computing in Block H at Bletchley Park with the help of the British Computer Society.

Built in 1944, Block H was originally designed to house the world's first digital computers, the Colossus machines, and is now under the care of the Bletchley Park Trust.

"It is wonderful to have secured Block H as the location for the computer museum," said Andy Clark from the CCHT.

"We are delighted to be working with the Bletchley Park Trust with the joint aim of improving on what is already one of the world's most important heritage sites."

The museum will allow visitors to follow the development of computing from the ultra secret pioneering efforts of the Colossus, through the mainframes of the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s.

"We are keen to ensure that Bletchley Park vividly explains the astonishing wartime contribution of the code breakers and the unique role it has played in the history of IT," said Sir Christopher Chataway, chairman of the Bletchley Park Trust.

"With that in mind, we are pleased to be able to offer Block H to the CCHT as the home of the National Computer Museum."

Using original systems restored to working order with the help of the BCS Computer Conservation Society, the museum will encourage visitors to operate and learn from the exhibits, and enjoy using machines they once used, programmed or played on.

The Computer Conservation Society has amassed a large collection of post-war computers, ranging from an Elliott 803 from 1960 through large ICL mainframes to modern workstations and PCs.

"Colossus is a genuine milestone in computing history, not just in terms of the crucially important role it played in winning the Second World War, but in terms of the way it paved the way for the future of computing," said Professor Nigel Shadbolt, BCS president.

"The BCS is therefore delighted and honoured to support the reinstallation of Colossus in its original position at Bletchley and, through the BCS Computer Conservation Society, to have helped in rebuilding a fully operational Colossus. "

Block H is also the home of the rebuilt and working Colossus Mk 2 computer which stands in the room where Colossus No. 9 stood in WW II.

A large education room and facilities aimed at young children and education will be provided in the new museum.

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