Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution is a major project and exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of the computer company Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) opening its first UK office in Reading in 1964 - a moment that would redefine the future of our town and region. The ground-breaking exhibition charting the rise of Reading’s role in the UK’s ‘Silicon Valley’ at Reading Museum runs until 24 December 2025.
You can find out more about the project by viewing the Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution trailer film, produced with our project partners at the National Museum of Computing thanks to a generous grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
This short trailer film gives an update on our project marking the 60th anniversary of Digital Equipment Corporation opening its first UK office in Reading, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A Network of Exhibitions
We began to explore Reading's digital history with a community display entitled A Brief History of DEC in Reading, which ran from June-October 2024 in the Museum’s Story of Reading gallery. Our team has created a digital version of A Brief History of DEC in Reading on this website.
Digital Britain: The Road from Reading
Our community display was timed to coincide with the National Museum of Computing’s DEC anniversary exhibition at Bletchley Park, Digital Britain: The Road from Reading, which ran until 28 February 2025.
Digital Britain: The Road from Reading toured locations across the UK that - from humble origins in Reading – were to play such a vital part in establishing Britain as DEC’s most successful national operation; leading to it becoming the world’s second largest computer company, after IBM.
For more details see the National Museum of Computing’s website.
About our Partners
The project has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £87,000 and generous donations from DECUS and local charity RGSpaces. This is enabling Reading Museum and The National Museum of Computing to tell the DEC story through a series of exciting and authentic exhibitions, education programmes and outreach activities.
We are hugely grateful to DEXODUS (the association of former DEC employees in the UK). Their committee and membership have kindly supported this project from the start and continue to provide guidance in our quest to reveal more about the previously unchartered history of the computing industry in Reading.
We also look forward to developing the project further with help from Digit (All), Reading University's Institute of Education, New Directions College, Blended Past, South Central Institute of Technology, Reading College, and Berkshire Education Business Partnership
