Elliott 803 Computer System, c.1960

Elliott 803 Computer System, c. 1960. This is an early example of a transistorised computer, and was one of the most successful British computers of the 1960s. Over 250 of the machines were built, of which only 3 are known to still be in existence. The one at the Science Museum, London was the first to be restored. The magnetic tape units used to store data in the Elliott 803 are unique in that they use 35 mm film stock coated with magnetic material. The film was manufactured by Kodak and then formatted for use in the computer by Elliott Brothers.