The National Museum of Computing

Over het museum

The National Museum of Computing is an independent charity that collects, restores and runs historic computers, many of them in working order. It stands on the Bletchley Park estate in Milton Keynes but is a separate organisation with its own admission charge and opening times. The museum opened in 2007 in Block H, a building that housed six of the ten Colossus computers in use at the end of the Second World War.

Its roots go back to the early 1990s, when volunteers led by Tony Sale began to rebuild a Colossus in Block H. When the building was threatened with demolition in 2004, it gained Grade II listed status, and the computing collection was separated from the museum run by the Bletchley Park Trust. The Codes and Ciphers Heritage Trust, set up in 2005, became the National Museum of Computing.

The galleries follow computing history roughly in order. They start with working replicas of wartime code-breaking machines, including the Turing-Welchman Bombe, a Tunny machine and the rebuilt Colossus Mark 2, and continue with early mainframes, the Harwell Dekatron computer known as WITCH, and personal computers from the late 1970s onwards. There is also a classroom of BBC Micros, a gallery on the history of the internet and an air traffic control gallery. Volunteers demonstrate many of the machines and tell their stories. In 2024 Arts Council England awarded the museum full accreditation.

Hoogtepunten

• Working rebuild of the Colossus Mark 2 code-breaking computer
• Working replica of the Turing-Welchman Bombe
• Harwell Dekatron computer (WITCH), described as the oldest working digital computer
• Tunny gallery with a rare Lorenz cipher machine
• PC gallery and a classroom of 1980s BBC Micros to try

Vaste collectie

• Colossus Gallery – Tells the story of Colossus, the world's first electronic computer, which helped to read German Lorenz-encrypted messages, around a working rebuild of a Colossus Mark 2.
• Bombe Gallery – Explains how Enigma messages were broken with a working replica of the Turing-Welchman Bombe, a working Enigma replica and related objects.
• PC Gallery – Computers from the late 1970s to the present, many of them working, where visitors can play retro games on BBC Micros, Spectrums and Amstrads.

Opgericht

2007

Beheerder

The National Museum of Computing (registered charity)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are for a single-day ticket; booking online in advance is recommended, but tickets can also be bought on the day. Blue Light card holders get 20% off with the code BLUELIGHT when booking, and local residents within a 10-mile radius get 50% off with the code LOCAL and valid ID.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The museum is in a one-storey building with ramps to any raised areas, so all galleries and displays can be reached. A wheelchair can be borrowed on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a unisex accessible toilet near the shop, which also has baby-changing facilities, and several accessible parking bays are directly outside the entrance. The shop has a fixed hearing loop and a portable loop is available for guided tours. A visual story, a sensory map and ear defenders are available, and relaxed opening sessions with a quiet room are held. Assistance dogs are welcome and water bowls are available on request.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte

The museum runs STEM Bytes activities for families in school holidays, covering coding, robotics, augmented and virtual reality. Visitors can play retro games on working computers and program BBC Micros, and relaxed opening sessions for families who need a quieter visit are held. Baby-changing facilities are in the accessible toilet.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Leave the M1 at junction 13 and use Sherwood Drive, MK3 6DS, as the postal address may lead to the wrong place. At the main gate of Bletchley Park, ask for the National Museum of Computing in Block H; beyond the entrance to the Bletchley Park Visitor Centre, turn left and go about 250 metres up the slope.

Service & horeca

• Museumwinkel
• Wifi

The museum shop sells hot and cold drinks and snacks as well as books, gifts and kits. Wi-Fi is only mentioned for the main meeting room that can be hired for corporate events, where it is free.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Zakelijke evenementen

The museum offers a large meeting room with AV system, projector and free Wi-Fi, breakout spaces, catering and escape-room style challenges for corporate and group events.

Je bezoek plannen