About
The Museum of Computing in Swindon is a small, volunteer-run collection dedicated to the history of computers and computing technology, distinct from the much larger National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park and the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge. Founded by enthusiasts and collectors determined to preserve the rapidly disappearing hardware, software and documentation of the personal computer era, the museum traces the story of computing from early mainframe and minicomputer systems through the home computer boom of the 1980s to the desktop PCs and games consoles that followed. Its collection has been built up almost entirely through donations from individuals and local businesses, reflecting Swindon's own connections to the electronics and technology industry.
Displays typically include working examples of classic British and international home computers such as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC Micro and Amstrad CPC machines that introduced a generation of British schoolchildren to programming, alongside earlier business computing equipment, calculators, storage media and peripherals that illustrate how radically the technology changed within a single working lifetime. Volunteers with genuine hands-on experience of the equipment are often on hand to demonstrate working machines, load original software from cassette or floppy disk, and explain how these systems were used in homes, schools and offices at the time.
As a small independent museum run on a shoestring by dedicated volunteers, the Museum of Computing's premises, opening hours and exact holdings can vary from year to year, and visitors are strongly encouraged to check current opening times before travelling. Despite its modest scale, the museum plays a valuable role in preserving computing heritage that might otherwise be lost to landfill, and it offers a genuinely hands-on, nostalgic experience for visitors who grew up with the machines on display, as well as an accessible introduction to computing history for younger visitors more familiar with smartphones and tablets than cassette tape loading screens.
The museum's volunteers frequently include individuals who worked professionally in the computing and electronics industry during the decades represented in the collection, and their first-hand technical knowledge adds considerable depth to what might otherwise be a purely nostalgic display of old hardware. Restoration and repair work forms an ongoing part of the museum's activity, since components for many of these systems are now scarce or unobtainable through normal commercial channels, and keeping machines in working order for demonstration purposes requires genuine technical ingenuity from the volunteer team responsible for the collection's upkeep.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the museum's website or social media before visiting, as opening days are limited and volunteer-dependent.
- Ask volunteers to demonstrate a working machine loading software from cassette or floppy disk for the full nostalgic experience.
- Visitors who grew up with 1980s home computers will find the most personal connection to the collection.
- Combine your visit with the nearby STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway for a fuller day of Swindon heritage.
- Bring questions — many volunteers have professional or hobbyist backgrounds in the technology on display and enjoy sharing their knowledge.
- Groups and school visits should book in advance to guarantee volunteer availability.
- The museum is compact, so allow extra time if you want in-depth conversations with volunteers rather than a quick browse.
- Cash may be preferred for small purchases in the shop area; check current payment options.
Highlights
1980s Home Computer Collection
The museum's core strength is its collection of the home computers that defined British computing in the 1980s — machines such as the Sinclair ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC and Acorn Electron.
For many visitors these machines represent a first, formative encounter with programming and gaming, and the museum's working examples allow visitors to load original cassette-based software and experience authentic startup screens, loading times and games exactly as they were in the era. The breadth of the collection illustrates the fierce competition between British and American manufacturers during the home computer boom, and volunteers can explain the technical and commercial differences between rival systems that once divided school playgrounds into passionate factions.
Business and Mainframe Computing Artefacts
Predating the home computer boom, the museum's collection includes earlier business computing equipment — punch card systems, early minicomputers, calculators and data storage devices — that illustrate how computing technology first entered offices and institutions before becoming a domestic product.
These artefacts help visitors understand the scale and cost of computing power before miniaturisation made it affordable for ordinary households, providing valuable context for the home computer displays that follow chronologically through the museum.
Working Software Demonstrations
A distinctive feature of the museum is its emphasis on keeping machines genuinely operational rather than displaying them as static exhibits. Volunteers regularly demonstrate loading original software from cassette tape and floppy disk, showing visitors the sometimes lengthy and unreliable loading processes that early computer users had to tolerate, and running period-appropriate games and applications.
This hands-on approach gives younger visitors a visceral understanding of just how far computing has advanced, while offering older visitors a genuinely nostalgic, sensory experience of technology they may have used decades ago.
Peripherals and Storage Media Collection
Beyond the computers themselves, the museum displays the wide range of peripherals and storage media that supported early computing — dot matrix printers, modems, joysticks, cassette recorders, floppy disks in multiple obsolete formats, and early data cartridges. This collection illustrates how computing hardware ecosystems evolved and standardised over time, and provides a useful reference point for understanding formats and connectors that have now almost entirely disappeared from everyday use.
Collections
The collection spans roughly five decades of computing history, from early business mainframes and minicomputers through the 1980s home computer boom to later desktop PCs and games consoles, built up almost entirely through donations from individuals and local businesses in the Swindon area and maintained by a dedicated team of enthusiast volunteers.
The Home Computer Revolution
Permanent display of British and international home computers from the 1980s, with working demonstrations
From Mainframe to Desktop
Permanent chronological display tracing computing technology from early business systems to modern personal computers
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.