Media & Press
FACTS
OVERVIEW
The Micro Museum is home to the privately-owned collection of Mike and Carol Deer.
A collection of vintage computers, games and more, it is often referred to as a "hidden gem" in Ramsgate, Kent, UK and is the only computer history museum in the county of Kent.
ORGANISATION
The Micro Museum is run as a not-for-profit business
The Museum receives no external funding or support from any other organisation
The Museum is not a charity
Opening: Seasonal (Easter-end October)
Weekend afternoons plus additional days during school and bank holidays
Entry charge: While building, etc. costs are borne by the owners, a small entry charge is made to assist with running costs
Staffed by the owners and a team of volunteers
THE FOUNDERS' BIOGRAPHY
The owners of the collection and founders of the Museum are retired husband and wife team Mike and Carol Deer, who married in 1974.
Mike's work career was varied: shop assistant in several menswear companies, security and then, until he took early retirement, as gallery assistant in museums and art galleries.
Mike (aka Micro Mike) began collecting when he and Carol realised that technology was developing so quickly that the older equipment was being rapidly discarded to make for the latest.
During the 1980s, he would frequent car boot sales and fairs before work, load his purchases onto very small (70cc-250cc) motor bikes and into a large back pack, go on to work and then take them home at the end of the day.
His wife says, "I'm not sure I actually saw everything that Mike brought home at that time, especially after I started complaining about not being able to get into the spare bedroom, the loft, the garage or our two garden sheds, because of all the boxes of computer stuff!"
Carol (aka The Boss - as she likes to call herself) spent most of her working life in the newspaper industry and then in education providing guidance and support for schools.
Her special interest lies in the history of computing and tech and the stories behind the devices. She gathered together the historical information for the Museum displays.
She also created the History Quiz which has made the Museum a learning destination for Kent Children's University and other education and school groups.
MUSEUM HISTORY & TIMELINE
2005
Mike and Carol did an 8-week trial run of the Museum in a building on Church Hill, Ramsgate, selecting the town because they planned to eventually retire there.
At that time, their Museum was one of very few in the UK which told the history of computing.
The trial was a success and they decided to leave their work and their home in London and make the move in the following year.
Interim
Unfortunately, while they were planning and looking forward to the move and starting their new venture, both sets of their parents fell seriously ill. Carol became a full-time carer, Mike carried on working and their plan for their Museum was put on hold for more than ten years.
2011
They found No. 11 Church Hill (just up the hill from their original building). An old stone mason's building dating back to c1913, which had been used as a woodworker's premises and as a plumbers merchants and workshop among others. It was in need of major repairs and took a couple of years to bring back to a usable state.
2014
The Micro Museum opened to the public at Easter 2014 and the couple's dream of sharing their unique collection finally became a reality.
AWARDS
Winner of Trip Advisor Certificates of Excellence 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Winner of the 2016 Pride of Thanet Attraction Award
PRESS & MEDIA COVERAGE
The Museum has featured in articles in
The Evening Standard
The Metro (online)
Kent online
The Isle of Thanet Gazette
The Isle of Thanet News
Computer Shopper Magazine
My Weekly Magazine
BBC Radio Kent
Kent Radio
Academy Radio