Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Moving Targets pp 469–504Cite as

The End of the Line

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 549 Accesses

Part of the book series: History of Computing ((HC))

Abstract

In the words of the hardware engineer Laurie Bental, who worked there from 1957 to 1994, ‘The demise of computing activities at Borehamwood was a long and painful process, spanning the years 1968 to 1988’ [1]. Although 1968 marked the end of Elliott-Automation Computers Ltd., the ‘long and painful process’ had actually begun 2 or 3 years earlier in the opinion of some market-oriented staff.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Laurie Bental (2002) Letter to Simon Lavington, 20 Mar 2002

    Google Scholar 

  2. Paul King (2007) E-mail to Simon Lavington, 27 Aug 2007

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dina St Johnston, Laurence Clarke (2007) In conversation with Simon Lavington on 7 June 2007

    Google Scholar 

  4. John Bunt (2002) The end of the road. Typed four-page document written for Simon Lavington, March 2002. A post-script, entitled An Opportunity Missed: being wise after the event, was added in Apr 2002, a few weeks before John Bunt’s death

    Google Scholar 

  5. Lord William Rees-Mogg (2009) Conversation with Simon Lavington on 9 Dec 2009 and subsequent e-mails

    Google Scholar 

  6. Jones R, Marriott O (1970) Anatomy of a merger: a history of GEC, AEI and English Electric. Jonathan Cape, London. ISBN: 0-224-61872-5

    Google Scholar 

  7. Doug Cornish (2007) E-mail to Simon Lavington, 20 July 2007

    Google Scholar 

  8. John Sinclair (2007) E-mails and telephone conversations with Simon Lavington in Apr and May 2007

    Google Scholar 

  9. David Warman (2010) E-mail to Simon Lavington dated 3 Feb 2010

    Google Scholar 

  10. Papers of Birkett DA, the ICT Company Information Officer, filed as document COM/1993/1433 at the National Museum of Science and Industry, South Kensington, London

    Google Scholar 

  11. These examples of the progression of Information Technology are taken from the BCS@50 conference, held in London in July 2007, when invited pioneers of computing reviewed their various fields. The Conference celebrated the 50th anniversary of the British Computer Society

    Google Scholar 

  12. Anon (1959) Automation in the post office. Comput Bull Feb/Mar:78–79

    Google Scholar 

  13. Roberts LG (1978) The evolution of packet switching. Proc IEEE 66(11):1307–1313. http://www.packet.cc/files/ev-packet-sw.html

    Google Scholar 

  14. GEC-Elliott Automation Ltd (1971) Report and Accounts for year ended 31 Mar 1971

    Google Scholar 

  15. Anon (1970) M2140 computer system. 56-page technical brochure published in 1970 by Marconi-Elliott Computer Systems Ltd., Borehamwood

    Google Scholar 

  16. Technical information on GEC 2000-series and 4000-series computers may be found on Andrew Gabriel’s web-site: http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/geccl/ and in his contributions to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEC_Computers

  17. Roger Newey (2009–2010) E-mails to Simon Lavington dated 7 Nov 2009 and 7 Feb 2010

    Google Scholar 

  18. Anon (1977) Central Processor Unit Nucleus. (User hardware handbook: computer, reference number DD1196). Published by GEC Computers Ltd., Borehamwood, 77 p. http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/userdata/files/nucleus.pdf

  19. Andrew Gabriel (2010) E-mails to Simon Lavington, Feb 2010

    Google Scholar 

  20. Lavington S (2009) An appreciation of Dina St Johnston, 1930–2007, founder of the UK’s first Software House. Comput J 52(3):378–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Anon (Feb 1970) Divide and rule: the GEC-Elliott Automation Group. Dataweek 10(9)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Laurie Bental (2002) Letter dated 20 Mar 2002 to Simon Lavington

    Google Scholar 

  23. Broadhead WR (July 1981) Prestel: the first year of public service. Post Office Electr Eng J (Institution of Post Office Engineers) 74 (Part 2):129–133

    Google Scholar 

  24. Geoff Scammell (2010) E-mails to Simon Lavington, Mar 2010

    Google Scholar 

  25. Data compiled by the National Computing Centre in Nov 1976

    Google Scholar 

  26. SLH Clarke (2009) E-mail to Simon Lavington dated 14 Oct 2009

    Google Scholar 

  27. Laurence Clark (2007) Personal contemporary notes and files loaned to Simon Lavington in June 2007, dealing with the proposed collaboration between GEC Computers and Ferranti

    Google Scholar 

  28. Wilson JF (2001) Ferranti: a history. Building a family business, 1882–1975. Carnegie Publishing Ltd., Lancaster. Volume 2: from family firm to multinational company, 1975–1987, published in 2007 by Crucible Books, Lancaster. ISBN: 978-1-905472-01-7

    Google Scholar 

  29. Thurston C (2009) GEC Computers Ltd and the series 63. Three-page typed manuscript ­produced for Simon Lavington on 15 Dec 2009

    Google Scholar 

  30. Campbell-Kelly M (1989) ICL: a business and technical history. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN: 0-19-853918-5

    Google Scholar 

  31. Oakley B, Owen K (1990) Alvey: Britain’s strategic computing initiative. MIT Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  32. Newey R, The Distributed Computing Systems Programme, 1977–84. This Overview was the opening talk at the DCS Conference at Sussex University in September 1984. The Proceedings of this conference were published in 1984 by Peter Peregrinus Ltd., on behalf of The Institution of Electrical Engineers, as Distributed Computing Systems Programme, edited by DA Duce. ISBN 0-86341-023-5. http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/acd/dcs/overview.htm

  33. Paul Rayner (2007) Memoirs sent as a series of e-mails to Simon Lavington, Aug/Sept 2007

    Google Scholar 

  34. Tony Bartolome (2007) Memoirs sent as a series of e-mails to Simon Lavington, Aug 2007

    Google Scholar 

  35. MacFarlane Sir A (2003) John Flavell Coales, CBE. Biogr Memoirs Fellows R Soc Lond 49:119–131

    Google Scholar 

  36. LP Fielding (Leon Bagrit’s nephew) (2010) E-mail to Simon Lavington dated 13 Jan 2010

    Google Scholar 

  37. The Times newspaper, 15 Oct 1968

    Google Scholar 

  38. Bagrit Sir L (1965) The age of automation – the Reith lectures 1964. Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK

    Emeritus Professor Simon Lavington

Authors
  1. Emeritus Professor Simon Lavington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simon Lavington .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer London

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lavington, S. (2011). The End of the Line. In: Moving Targets. History of Computing. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-933-6_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-933-6_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84882-932-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-84882-933-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation