Fragment in Powerhouse Museum

Powerhouse Museum

500 Harris Street, Ultimo, Sydney

Originally from New Zealand

Sold in 1995 to the Powerhouse Museum

This is a demonstration model to illustrate the mechanical operation of Difference Engine no 1.

Assembled by Henry Prevost Babbage after Babbage's death, from parts saved by Charles Babbage from the scrappage of the engine after the project had been cancelled.

This used to belong to Jean Babbage

Former provenance: Jean Babbage's Collection, Auckland, New Zealand:
She also had H.P. Babbage's instructions how to operate the fragment of the adding mechanism of the Difference Engine no. 1, and the fragment itself, one of five or six assembled by him in 1879.
[Note: Some of her collection has been donated to the Wanganui Regional Museum. The fragment itself used to be on show in the lobby of the engineering consultancy, Babbage and Partners, in Auckland.] 

Now it has transferred to the Powerhouse museum Sydney 

References

96/203/1 Calculating engine, specimen piece, with instructions and engraving, 'Difference Engine No1', bronze / steel / wood / paper, designed by Charles Babbage, parts made by Joseph Clements, assembled by Henry Provost Babbage, England, 1822-1879 - Powerhouse Museum Collection

Tee, Garry J., "The Heritage of Charles Babbage in Australasia," Annals of the History of Computing , vol.5, no.1, pp.45,60, Jan.-March 1983
URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4392936&isnumber=4392931

Computing History Displays - The University of Auckland - Historydisplays - SecondFloor - CharlesBabbage

Auckland University NZ, Computer Science dept