Public Guided Tour: The National Museum of Computing

Our popular Public Guided Tours have returned!

In this two-hour walking tour, the evolution of computing will unfold before your eyes. Accompanied by one of our fantastic team of friendly and knowledgeable Museum Guides, adventure through the Museum and be captivated by the extraordinary artefacts in our unrivalled collection.

As The National Museum of Computing is home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers, you will witness many of our iconic machines in operation; your Museum Guide will illuminate the machine's design, history and operation.

Journey from the early electro-mechanical code breaking machines of WWII and the world's first entirely digital semi-programmable computer, discovering how technology evolved from valves and early semiconductors to the modern microprocessors we use today. You will uncover the development of large mainframes, supercomputers and scientific mini-computers, responsible for process control from office-based systems to airspace! The tour will conclude by exploring the rise of personal computing, mobile computing and the advent of the internet and smart devices, bringing you up-to-date by examining how this technology has revolutionised the way we now interact with machines and each other.

Please note, to give you the best experience, places on our Public Guided Tours are limited to a maximum of 16 people. Our Public Guided Tours are primarily targeted towards an adult audience. We do not recommend our Public Guided Tour for anyone below the age of 11.

Dear Customers,

Please be advised that we are undertaking essential refurbishment works at our museum. Here are the key details:

• Gallery Access: The galleries will remain open to the public throughout the refurbishment period, except for the week when the internal crash deck is being installed (17th June - 24th June, inclusive).
• Temporary Welfare Facilities: During the refurbishment, welfare facilities will be limited, but temporary facilities will be available.
• Schedule:
• Internal Crash Deck Installation (No Access to Tunny & Colossus): 17th June - 24th June
• Roof Restoration Works: 24th June - 24th September (Tunny & Colossus)
• Building Refurbishment:
• Phase 1 (Main Toilets, New cafe Area): 17th June - 29th August
• Phase 2 (Meeting Room, Secondary Toilets): 12th August - 21st October

Please note that all dates are approximate and subject to change. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding and patience during this time.

On the Day:

• Please arrive at the Museum 15 minutes before your Public Guided Tour is due to start.
• On placing your booking, you will be emailed your ticket/s by Eventbrite. Please bring either a printed or digital version (on a phone or tablet) of your ticket/s to present at the Ticket Desk on your arrival.
• The meeting point for Public Guided Tours is in the Museum Shop. Please ask at the Ticket Desk for directions.
• Full Museum Admission is included in the ticket price for a Public Guided Tour. The Museum will be open to view between 10:30 and 16:30, allowing you to further explore and be inspired by our extraordinary collection whilst you are here.

For Private Guided Tour enquiries, or for larger group bookings (of over 16 people), please contact the Museum via email at [email protected]. You will be asked to complete a Guided Tour Booking Form.

If you would like to organise a visit from an educational institution (school, college or university etc), you can find out more about what is on offer through the Museum's Education Programme here: https://www.tnmoc.org/learning.

Host or Publisher The National Museum of Computing