Ada Lovelace

Discover the remarkable story of Ada Lovelace, a Victorian pioneer of the computer age, in this free exhibition celebrating the bicentenary of her birth.

Called the ‘Enchantress of number’ by Charles Babbage, Lovelace was the daughter of infamous poet Lord Byron and the admired intellect Annabella Milbanke. She studied science and maths at a time when women rarely had access to such subjects and collaborated with Babbage on his calculating machines. Lovelace is now celebrated for identifying the machines' potential to manipulate symbols rather than just numbers, foreshadowing modern computing a century in advance.

The exhibition brings together for the first time Lovelace's portraits, letters and notes, alongside the incredible calculating machines she worked with.

Suitable for ages 12-16 and adults.