London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

North West Computer Museum aims to give new life to old consoles

North West Computer Museum aims to give new life to old consoles

From Pong and Pac-Man to Halo and Half-Life, a new computer museum is celebrating the rich history of gaming - and is ready to help fix people's broken consoles too.

The North West Computer Museum showcases video game classics from the 1970s to the present day.

It also has a myriad of machines, such as Acorn Electrons, Sinclair ZX80s, Xbox 360s and even a replica Apple-1.

Joseph Kay, who set it up, said it was all about "getting hands-on".


Mr Kay has collected a host of old computers and consoles to display in the museum

The exhibits also include a range of software storage, including cartridges, cassettes and floppy discs

He said as much as he wanted people to enjoy the exhibits, he also wanted anyone with an old or unwanted console to bring it in for a revamp.

"I want to help people understand they often can fix and not just bin broken computers and games consoles," he said.

"It's sad seeing we have become such a throwaway society.

"It's not good for the environment and it's not good for people's pockets."

He said the museum's staff would be available to anyone wanting to give repairs a go.

"We can help teach people to fix their broken Xbox-360," he said.

"You don't have to buy a new one. Bring it to us, swap some parts, and we'll help you fix it.

"This museum is about people getting hands-on, using and understanding how computers actually work."
Many of the titles on display will bring back happy memories for the museum's older visitors

Amongst the exhibits are more unusual items, such as the Sinclair Magnum light gun, which was used with the ZX Spectrum

Some of the items relate to computers that have long since disappeared from shops, such as the BBC Micro which was launched in 1981


The crowdfunded museum, which has opened at Leigh Spinners Mill in Greater Manchester, has more than 140 items are on display, all of which have been collected by Mr Kay and refurbished by the 56-year-old and his team of volunteers.

It also features a retro arcade room and an educational suite to teach computer programming and electronical repairs.

Alongside his own collecting, Mr Kay also works with Wigan Council Recycling Centre to obtain electronics which would have otherwise been thrown away.

He said the idea for a permanent site came after the success of a pop-up exhibition he ran for a week in 2018.

"Kids were being dragged in by their parents who wanted to show them old tech they used to use as children," he said.

"Once the kids got their hands on the technology for themselves, they couldn't be dragged out.

"That's when I knew I should do something to encourage that."

Mr Kay has worked with the local council to save computers from going to landfill

Many of the items in the museum will be available for people to play with


Mr Kay, who has a background in computing, has spent three years securing a permanent site and, after delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said he was "excited and nervous" to finally be opening the doors.

"The biggest buzz in the world for me would be for a young kid from Leigh to come in and check out an electronics board and then for them to get the bug and go on to develop their own company," he said.

"Who knows? We might even help inspire the next Steve Jobs.

"That would make me and the team here extremely proud."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×