A Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the world's first office computer

by Georgina Ferry

The eccentric story of one of the most bizarre marriages in the history of British business: the invention of the world's first office computer and the Lyons Teashop.

The Lyons teashops were one of the great British institutions, providing a cup of tea and a penny bun through the depression and the war, though to the 1970s. Yet Lyons also has a more surprising claim to history.

In the 1930s John Simmons, a young maths graduate in charge of the clerks' offices, had a dream: to build a machine that would automate the millions of tedious transactions and process them in as little time as possible. Simmons' quest for the first office computer – the Lyons Electronic Office – would take 20 years and involve some of the most brilliant young minds in Britain.

Interwoven with the story of creating LEO is the story of early computing, from the Difference Engine of Charles Babbage to the codecracking computers at Bletchley Park and the instantly obsolescent ENIAC in the US. It is also the story of post war British computer business: why did it lose the initiative? Why did the US succeed while British design was often superior?

Genres: Computers, History, Nonfiction, Technology, Computer Science

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Ferry had a peripatetic childhood as one of five children of an army officer. She went to Ellerslie School in Great Malvern from 1966–73, then to Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford: she graduated in Experimental Psychology in 1976.

She worked briefly for a science publisher before joining New Scientist magazine as a section editor. Soon afterwards she began to present science programmes on BBC Radio 4.

She married David Long in 1981. They settled in Oxford, and sons Ed and Will were born in 1982 and 1985. Since then she has worked mostly as a freelance writer, editor and broadcaster.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a huge tea shop chain, Lyon’s Corner Houses, which decided to sideline into computing and analytics. They started this great project at the beginning of the 1950s, and once completed, LEO (Lyon’s Electronic Office) was the first office computer in the world put to commercial use. This tells the story of the very beginning of computing, including a quote for the first ever computer programmer (Countess Ada Lovelace, 1840), where she defends the concept of the electric brain, then through the war years, and then a more detailed technical path following the development of LEO and his successors.
It is full of business management, systems thinking, and explanations of how the coding actually worked. Lyons was ahead of its time, amazingly so. They tailored the machines to the companies so they worked exactly as they would need them. You might be aware, though, that you can no longer buy a cup of tea in a Lyons Corner House or a LEO-branded computer, and this book also deals with what went wrong.
As I work in this industry, I was thoroughly absorbed by the ups and downs of the beginning of computing as we know it, and I lapped up all the technical detail too. What a delight to know where my strange job actually began, and to find out so much about the wonderful pioneers.

[Matthew Caminer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted account of the early pioneering days of the British Computer Industry, when Lyons, the household name in tea shops, cakes, ice cream, tea, coffee and event catering, beat the big boys by launching the world's first programmable business computer. Since one of the key players was my late father I have a special interest in the book, and can just remember being taken to Cadby Hall to see one of the LEO computers, a huge monster housed in laboratory conditions, with less power than one of today's singing birthday cards, and yet performing a wide array of highly complex tasks. Georgina Ferry tells the story in a very readable way. It's a story that needs to be remembered and retold!

[Geoff Cumberbeach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived through computer history and even worked on a relative of the LEO (English Electric Leo KDF6) I found the book fascinating. Gripping even. The author gives an excellent account of the early conception and development of LEO. It was clearly a superior computer ahead of it's time, developed by an enthusiastic bunch of people. It is interesting that the developers believed in strong system methodology as much as computerisation of business systems. The ending was sad to read how the machine and people faded away.

[Boneist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really interesting. I'm not old enough to remember Lyons tea shops, but I do remember Lyons Maid ice lollies!

This was an interesting read on how the early office computers came to be - the amount of business analysis required was mind boggling, but still relevant today.

I would recommend all computer programmers/developers read this book.

[Hannah Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much I wrote a blog post about it :

http://www.hannahdee.eu/blog/?p=1747

[Caolan McMahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting account of the very early days of the British computer industry. It makes a good introduction to the topic with well organised sources presented at the back. The writing is engaging and the level of technical detail well judged.

[Bhaskar Chowdhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent! A beautifully written rundown of the evolution of the British Computing Industry. Invigorating and informative. The informations are well knitted and pleasant to read.

Enjoyed every bit of it. It certainly bridges the gaps in my knowledge significantly.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! I work in IT and so often projects fail because they forget the lessons that the company that set up the original computer learned!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The standard story of British History: Cutting edge innovation let down by incompetent management.

[Duncan Maccoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great fun to read. It is a true adventure story and so well written.

[Nick Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read, explains the beginnings, (and end) of the British Computer manufacturing industry.

[Alain van Hoof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nicely written and gives a detailed insight of the creation of the LEO computer.