Collections

	Title	Description
	Sinclair	Starting out in radio electronics, Clive Sinclair’s company steadily grew until an early boom in home computer kits caught his interest. Working with Chris Curry, the MK14 was created; a small DIY kit with a tiny LED display. Buoyed by the interest it generated, its successor was planned to be the first affordable home computer […]
	Elliott	“Elliott” was one of several names that mostly disappeared from the British computer industry after the numerous mergers used to create International Computers Limited (ICL) in 1968. The Elliott story had begun in 1804 with the Elliott Instrument Company and over the years the company had diversified, moving into the areas of analogue computers during […]
	Apple	Apple was founded on the 1st April 1976, to develop and sell Steve Wozniak’s Apple I computer. By April 1977, a new more capable computer, the Apple II become a force to be reckoned with in the computing industry. Although Apple would continue to grow as a company, it faced substantial hurdles in the years […]
	Psion	Initially a producer of software, notably for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and QL computers, Psion was a British technology company that produced portable computing devices, including personal digital assistants, handheld computers, and netbooks. It gained fame for the Psion Organiser (1984), one of the first handheld personal organizers. Psion continued to innovate, releasing popular devices […]
	Marconi	Marconi is best known historically for the invention of radio. What isn’t so well known is that The Marconi Company broadcasted news and entertainment to the UK before the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) came into existence. During WWII and afterwards, Marconi was a major supplier of RADAR systems worldwide. The Marconi TAC was the first […]
	Commodore	Commodore International, founded by Jack Tramiel, was a significant player in the home computer market through the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Initially finding success with adding machines and calculators, Commodore entered the personal computer market with the acquisition of MOS in 1976. Commodore’s personal computer range included the KIM1, PET, VIC20, Commodore 64 (and derivatives) […]
	Acorn	The Acorn collection documents the history of Acorn computers from 1978 to 1998. Acorn was a significant force in the history of personal computing in Britain. We have examples of early computers, such as the System 1 and Atom, which were aimed at hobbyists, as well as a system 4 which was aimed at research […]
	ICL	International Computers Ltd (ICL) was the largest British computer manufacturer, operating from 1968 until 2002, when it was rebranded as Fujitsu Services Ltd. The relationship with Fujitsu began in the early 1980s as a technology partnership, with ICL gaining access to Fujitsu’s cutting edge ASIC technology which was used in the Series 39 mainframe range. […]

Sinclair

Starting out in radio electronics, Clive Sinclair’s company steadily grew until an early boom in home computer kits caught his interest. Working with Chris Curry, the MK14 was created; a small DIY kit with a tiny LED display. Buoyed by the interest it generated, its successor was planned to be the first affordable home computer […]

Elliott

“Elliott” was one of several names that mostly disappeared from the British computer industry after the numerous mergers used to create International Computers Limited (ICL) in 1968. The Elliott story had begun in 1804 with the Elliott Instrument Company and over the years the company had diversified, moving into the areas of analogue computers during […]

Apple

Apple was founded on the 1st April 1976, to develop and sell Steve Wozniak’s Apple I computer. By April 1977, a new more capable computer, the Apple II become a force to be reckoned with in the computing industry. Although Apple would continue to grow as a company, it faced substantial hurdles in the years […]

Psion

Initially a producer of software, notably for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and QL computers, Psion was a British technology company that produced portable computing devices, including personal digital assistants, handheld computers, and netbooks. It gained fame for the Psion Organiser (1984), one of the first handheld personal organizers. Psion continued to innovate, releasing popular devices […]

Marconi

Marconi is best known historically for the invention of radio. What isn’t so well known is that The Marconi Company broadcasted news and entertainment to the UK before the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) came into existence. During WWII and afterwards, Marconi was a major supplier of RADAR systems worldwide. The Marconi TAC was the first […]

Commodore

Commodore International, founded by Jack Tramiel, was a significant player in the home computer market through the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Initially finding success with adding machines and calculators, Commodore entered the personal computer market with the acquisition of MOS in 1976. Commodore’s personal computer range included the KIM1, PET, VIC20, Commodore 64 (and derivatives) […]

Acorn

The Acorn collection documents the history of Acorn computers from 1978 to 1998. Acorn was a significant force in the history of personal computing in Britain. We have examples of early computers, such as the System 1 and Atom, which were aimed at hobbyists, as well as a system 4 which was aimed at research […]

ICL

International Computers Ltd (ICL) was the largest British computer manufacturer, operating from 1968 until 2002, when it was rebranded as Fujitsu Services Ltd. The relationship with Fujitsu began in the early 1980s as a technology partnership, with ICL gaining access to Fujitsu’s cutting edge ASIC technology which was used in the Series 39 mainframe range. […]

The National Museum of Computing

Collections