On your left, look for a compact brick-fronted unit with broad rectangular windows and a simple sign set into Theatre Square.
This modest frontage hides a big claim: it became the first museum in the United Kingdom devoted entirely to the history of computing, opening in February two thousand and three. It preserves early computers as an educational resource and a repository for historians and collectors... in plainer English, it saves machines before they vanish into attics. Inside, volunteers keep working computers and interactive exhibits alive; one show ran from Pong to PlayStation, and more than thirty machines helped Gordon Laing write Digital Retro in two thousand and four. Sir Clive Sinclair launched a calculator exhibition here in March two thousand and six, and in two thousand and ten the museum marked Pac-Man's thirtieth birthday with a real-life game. It moved to this Theatre Square spot in July two thousand and nine, between the library and theatre. Rather fittingly, this not-for-profit still runs largely on volunteers, and it usually opens only on Saturdays from nine thirty to five. When you're ready, continue toward the Victorian Turkish Baths.
