The AVRO Mark I* Installation at Chadderton

The illustrious background of A. V. Roe, the company that produced the Avro Lancaster bomber, is described. Although the company was based at Chadderton, just a couple of miles from the Moston birthplace of the Ferranti Mark I*, Avro was at first reluctant to take the plunge and order its own computer. Once the machine arrived, however, full and innovative use was made of its computing power. We describe the applications and the people who were involved, the company’s efforts in 1964 to donate its Mark I* to a museum, and the computing resources that followed the Mark I* at Chadderton and at Avro’s nearby plant at Woodford.