The Retro Computer Museum (RCM) is a museum in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, England dedicated to the benefit of the public for the preservation, display, and public experience of

computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

and

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

systems from the 1960s onwards.

Overview

The museum is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

, and staffed entirely by volunteers. The museum is run by a board of trustees chaired by Andy Spencer, the founder of the museum. On display are a number of computers and consoles from throughout history, from the early home consoles such as the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

, more advanced machines like the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

, and

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

, through to more recent consoles like the

GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

, and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

. A number of rarer items are also on display. The collection is built largely on donations by the public, and the museum holds around 300 unique systems. Over 40 systems are on display to the public and may be freely used for gaming or, for users with existing knowledge, programming, as well as a public software library holding around 40000 titles. The museum also holds a large collection of magazines and manuals, which are also available to the public. The museum is open to the public on most Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 3:30pm, as well as offering private events (such as parties and school visits) at the main building in Leicester or other premises. The museum also attends other

retro gaming Retro gaming, also known as classic gaming and old school gaming, is the playing and collection of computer game, personal computers, video game console, consoles, and video games from earlier decades. Usually, retro gaming is based upon syste ...

and

computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, hardware and softw ...

events, often providing systems for use by other attendees.

History

The museum began as Andy Spencer's personal collection, which eventually outgrew his garage and became the Retro Computer Museum. The museum first opened to the public in 2008, with an open day held in

Swannington, Leicestershire Swannington is a former Pit village, mining village situated between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. A document of 1520 mentions five pits at Swannington. It was a terminus of the early (1832) Leicester and Swanning ...

on 16 November 2008. Several more events were held over the following years, both at the original location in Swannington and other venues. In 2011, the museum moved into its first permanent building in

Heather, Leicestershire Heather ( ) is a village west of Ibstock in North West Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish was 949 at the 2001 census reducing to 920 at the 2011 census. In the Domesday Book of 1086, its name is recorded as ''Hadre' ...

. Several open days and events were held here. In 2013, the museum moved to larger premises at Troon Way Business Centre in Thurmaston, where it remains (in a different building). In 2016, the museum moved to a larger building in Troon Way, where it currently remains. The museum was moved over less than two weeks in January 2016, and reopened shortly after.

References

{{reflist 2008 establishments in England Charities based in Leicestershire Computer museums in the United Kingdom Museums established in 2008 Museums in Leicester Science and technology in Leicestershire