London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 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
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×