Centre for Computing History
A hands-on museum of home computers and video games, from the Altair 8800 to the ZX Spectrum, on the east side of the city.
The Centre for Computing History is an independent museum on the east side of Cambridge, set up to tell the story of the Information Age through machines visitors can see and, in many cases, use. It has been in Cambridge since 2013, in a 10,500 sq ft unit at Rene Court off Coldham's Lane, having started life in Haverhill, Suffolk. It is a registered charity, and Arts Council England granted it Accredited Museum status in March 2019.
What you will see
The collection runs from early calculating machines through the Altair 8800 to the Apple II and the ZX Spectrum, with games consoles, peripherals, software, manuals and magazines alongside. A few pieces stand out:
- The Megaprocessor, a giant working microprocessor, billed as the world's largest, a Guinness World Record.
- The Elliott 903, the centre's oldest working machine, which is demonstrated regularly.
- A prototype ZX Spectrum, donated in 2019 and named Object of the Year by Museums in Cambridgeshire that November.
The museum's own online catalogue lists several thousand computers, consoles and video games, plus books, manuals and magazines, and the centre also runs a video game preservation project and a learning programme for schools.
Practical notes
During school term the museum opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:15. In school holidays it is usually open seven days a week, except at Christmas. Tickets are charged because it is a not-for-profit charity; there is a Gift Aid price, family tickets and several discounted categories, and under-5s go free. Booking is only needed for events. The building has no air conditioning, which the museum flags for summer visits, and school groups can close some areas for short periods on term-time weekdays; the museum will say whether a school is in if you phone ahead.
The museum sits on Coldhams Road, east of the city centre.
