Museums · South East England
Atlas Computer Laboratory
In or near East Hendred.
Atlas Computer Laboratory is a museum in the United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Best time of year
- Year-round
- Nearest railway station
- Didcot Parkway · 6.4 km
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Wheelchair accessible
Getting there & planning your visit
The Atlas Computer Laboratory is located in Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, with the postcode OX11 0QX. The nearest railway station is Didcot Parkway, which is 6.4 km away. Entry is free, and the facility is wheelchair accessible.
About
Atlas Computer Laboratory is a museum in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1961. Coordinates: 51.5752°, -1.3150°. This entry is part of The Great Britain Guide, a free, ad-free, open-data tourist directory.
Photo gallery
Summary from the official site
The Atlas Computer Laboratory is an archive dedicated to the history of computing, showcasing documents, photographs, and reports from the laboratory's operations from the 1940s to the 2000s. Visitors can explore various computing departments and learn about significant projects and technologies developed during that time.
Read more on the official property page.
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: North Wessex Downs
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Atlas Computer Laboratory on the Harwell, Oxfordshire campus shared by the Harwell Laboratory was one of the major computer laboratories in the world, which operated between 1961 and 1975 to provide a service to British scientists at a time when powerful computers were not usually available. The main user population was the UK universities and some government agencies. Now called the Atlas centre, it is home to European Space Agency's (ESA) Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) Innovations Technology Access Centre (I-TAC).
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
From 1964 to 1971, the laboratory housed the largest of the three examples of the Ferranti Atlas 1 computer that was purchased for £2.5 million, and after which the laboratory was named. For a time, it was the fastest and most innovative of the computers available worldwide. Throughout its life, it was headed by Jack Howlett. Early staff or visitors included A. O. L. Atkin (1964–1970), I. J. Good (1964–1967), and Donald Michie who had worked together at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. High quality text and graphics output on both paper and film was provided by a Stromberg-Carlson SC4020 microfilm recorder that provided a unique service for many years, especially to people…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.5752, -1.3150
- County
- Oxfordshire
- District
- Vale of White Horse
- Parish
- Chilton
- Postcode
- OX11 0QX
- Parliamentary constituency
- Didcot and Wantage
- Established
- 1961
- Nearest railway station
- Didcot Parkway — 6.4 km
- Official site
- www.chilton-computing.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q4816795 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Atlas Computer Laboratory (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Acl.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Atlas Computer Laboratory?
- Atlas Computer Laboratory is in Oxfordshire, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode OX11 0QX), in the parish of Chilton.
- What is Atlas Computer Laboratory?
- Atlas Computer Laboratory is a museum in the United Kingdom.
- How do I get to Atlas Computer Laboratory?
- The nearest railway station is Didcot Parkway, about 6.4 km away. Drivers can use postcode OX11 0QX.
- When was Atlas Computer Laboratory built?
- Built or established in 1961.
- Is Atlas Computer Laboratory a protected site?
- Yes — Atlas Computer Laboratory is part of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (AONB).
- Is Atlas Computer Laboratory free to visit?
- Yes, Atlas Computer Laboratory is free to enter.
- How do I get to Atlas Computer Laboratory?
- The nearest railway station is Didcot Parkway, about 6.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode OX11 0QX.