Preserving history, and a place for everyone…
Derby Computer Museum has been in the works for the past year or so and will open on Saturday 3rd December.
A registered charity, run by volunteers and situated on the 2nd and 3rd floors of 3-4 Iron
Gate, above the old Birds, the museum aims not only to preserve and maintain computing history but
also to be a valued asset for the local community.
Besides opening to the public and providing a fantastic activity for individuals and families to enjoy, the
museum also provides work experience for young adults with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and field
trips for primary and secondary school children.
The vast majority of the exhibits in the museum are hands on exhibits so you can see, touch and use the
exhibits as if you’d stepped into a time machine to the 80’s or 90s.
The rooms
Derby Computer Museum is split into several rooms, each with their own theme….
70s/80s room
Here you’ll find a couple of BBC computers, Dragon 32, Amstrads, Commodore 64, and similar cassette
based machines from the era, as well as a history of removable media. If you look closely you’ll also see
“Zippy” from Rainbow sat on a shelf just to set the scene…
Japanese room
The Japanese machines many of us grew up with such as Nintendo NES, SNES, N64, Sega Megadrive,
Saturn, Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation as well as some that we’re less familiar with such as the original
Nintendo Famicom and some original “dev kits” used to develop computer games.
British Computer Gaming History Room
Most of us know that Derby was the birthplace of Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), but did you know that Derby
and the UK has a rich heritage of computer game design? From Jet Set Willy through to Grand Theft
Auto, you’ll find highlights of British gaming history in this room.
PC Software history
Every version of Microsoft Windows from version 1 through to Windows 98! And, Clippy… we couldn’t
leave Clippy out!
The Apple Room
From Apple’s days as being more of an obscure brand with exhibits such as the original Macintosh,
through to the popular iMac from the late 90’s.
Computers in music / laptops / portable
Last but not least this room shows how computers such as the Atari ST were instrumental (not
pardoning the pun) in 80s and 90s dance music for artists such as Fatboy Slim and local artist White
Town. Our display cabinets of vintage laptops and palmtop computers showcase a history of portable
computing which were a prelude to the smartphones we all use today.
How to get involved
Whilst the museum is very close to being ready to open and it has a local team of volunteers, it needs
more help to open. The museum is currently looking for volunteers to:-
– Help run the museum on our Saturday public open days (eg if you can contribute 2+ Saturdays
per month)
– Marketing and PR manager
– General Manager
Details at www.DerbyComputerMuseum.co.uk/volunteer
Open date / booking
We are opening to the public on Saturdays between 10am and 4pm starting Sat 3rd December.
During the week we’re available for corporate fun days, and primary/secondary school field trips.
Online booking recommended at www.DerbyComputerMuseum.org.uk
