AS THE march of technology continues, a chance to look back at Reading’s role in the electronics revolution is being planned.
Next year marks the 60th anniversary of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) opening its first UK office, setting Reading on a course to become Europe’s largest tech cluster in the Thames Valley.
Its first office was in Castle Street – two employees were located above the former Bilbey’s Furniture Store, now home to Brewdog. The company expanded its Reading operations to employ more than 2,000 people.
By 1988 it was the second-largest computer company in the world, just behind IBM. In June 1998, Compaq took it over in what was at that time the largest merger in the history of the computer industry.
Compaq subsequently merged with Hewlett-Packard in May 2002.
Reading Museum, in collaboration with DEXODUS, DECUS (UK), and the National Museum of Computing (TNMoC), has received a £87,145 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a heritage project which will include an exhibition titled Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution.
Curators are now appealing for former DEC employees to get in touch and share items from the firm’s history, helping detail its influence on the UK’s ICT industry.
A questionnaire is available aimed at capturing people’s experiences and insights into life at DEC between 1964 and 1998. By sharing their stories, participants will contribute to preserving the legacy of a company whose impact still resonates today.
Their contributions will play a crucial role in shaping the narrative of DEC’s influence on Reading and the broader ICT industry.
The Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution project will culminate in 2025 with the exhibition and a series of education and outreach activities in partnership with The National Museum of Computing.
Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for leisure and culture, said it would be an exceptional project that would honour the legacy of DEC.
“I encourage anyone who worked at or knows family, friends or neighbours who worked at DEC to contribute their first-hand experiences and who were pivotal to Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution,” she said.
Former DEC/DIGITAL UK employees are invited to complete the questionnaire by November 30. It can be found at: https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/digital60
