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Editor's Blog: The pyramids versus Macclesfield
What's your favourite piece of our technology heritage?

By Steve Ranger

Published: Wednesday 23 January 2008

A couple of new destinations to add to your holiday list: after you've visited the pyramids and the Taj Mahal, how about Jodrell Bank or the Struve Geodetic Arc?

Along with Cern, both these technological landmarks could end up on Unesco's World Heritage Site (WHS) list - beside the tombs of the pharaohs and the masterpiece of Agra.

The idea is a great one - as one of the first large radio telescopes Jodrell Bank, near Macclesfield, is the sort of achievement that should be recognised.

Apparently a WHS must have outstanding universal value, and importance to all humanity. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that there are quite a few IT-related innovations that would meet that definition which are worthy of greater recognition.

And thinking closer to home, there are surely plenty of sites in the UK that deserve more recognition for the role they have played in the development of IT in the UK.

So what do you think are the UK's most important technology heritage sites? Which are the places that represent the developments that we couldn't have done without? There's probably an obvious few - Bletchley Park home of the WWII codebreakers and Colossus the world's first electronic computer, for example.

What about the Goonhilly satellite station down in Cornwall where the dish known as Arthur received the first live transatlantic television broadcasts from the US. Or the birthplace of Charles Babbage, the Victorian mathematician and computer pioneer?

Which are the UK sites of tech history that we shouldn't forget? What about forgotten sites that you think should be honoured? Tell us about your favourites by leaving a reader comment below.