Retro Computer Museum facts for kids
| Established | July 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Thurmaston, Leicestershire |
| Type | Computer museum |
| Collection size | ~300 (unique) systems, >40000 software titles |
| Founder | Andy Spencer |
| Nearest car park | On site (no charge) |
The Retro Computer Museum (RCM) is a super cool place in Leicester, England. It's a museum all about old computers and video game consoles. You can see, learn about, and even play with systems from the 1960s right up to more recent times!
Contents
What You'll Find at the Museum
The Retro Computer Museum is a special place that runs like a charity. This means it's set up to help people, and it's run completely by amazing volunteers! Andy Spencer, who started the museum, leads a team of trustees who help manage everything.
Explore Old Computers and Consoles
At the museum, you can see many different computers and game consoles from history. Imagine playing games on an Atari 2600, which was one of the first home consoles! You can also find famous machines like the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. Plus, there are classic game systems like the NES.
The museum also has more recent consoles, such as the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. They even have some very rare items that you might not see anywhere else!
Play and Learn with the Collection
Most of the museum's collection comes from generous donations by people. The museum has about 300 different types of computer systems. Over 40 of these systems are set up for you to use!
You can play games on them or, if you know how, even try some programming. The museum also has a huge library of software with around 40,000 games and programs. You can also look through their big collection of old magazines and manuals.
When Can You Visit?
The museum is usually open to everyone on most Saturdays and Sundays. You can visit from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
The museum also offers special private events. These can be parties or school trips. You can have these events at their main building in Leicester. Sometimes, the museum even takes its cool old systems to other retro gaming and computing events. This lets even more people enjoy them!
The Museum's Journey
The Retro Computer Museum started as Andy Spencer's own collection of old computers. He had so many that they filled up his garage! That's when he decided to turn his hobby into a museum for everyone to enjoy.
Early Days and First Openings
The museum first opened its doors to the public in 2008. They held their very first open day on November 16, 2008, in a place called Swannington, Leicestershire. After that, they held more events over the next few years. These events took place both at the original spot in Swannington and at other locations.
Moving to New Homes
In 2011, the museum found its first permanent home in Heather, Leicestershire. They held many open days and events there. Then, in 2013, the museum needed even more space. So, it moved to a bigger building at Troon Way Business Centre in Thurmaston. It's still in Thurmaston today, but in a different building.
The museum moved to its current, even larger building in Troon Way in 2016. The big move happened very quickly, in less than two weeks in January 2016. The museum was able to reopen its doors to visitors shortly after that!
