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The Rat Trail

Can you find the 12 rats hidden in our galleries? Each one wears a beautiful handmade costume, representing different experiences of countryside childhood.

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Explore the past and present of the English countryside, and the people whose lives and work define it.

About The MERL

Getting here

6 Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX
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Opening hours

Full opening hours

Upcoming Events

MERL Curator Ollie Douglas standing in front of the Welcome Case at The MERL
Talks and Seminars

Gallery Tour: MERL 75

Join us on a whistle-stop gallery tour through 75 years of The MERL!

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Dates

Tuesday 22 September 2026, 13:00 – 14:00

Author

Public

Price

Free, booking suggested (link coming soon)

Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
Displays

Peter Treherne: ‘Seasons’

Video installation in the Wagon Walk gallery.

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Dates

2 June – 13 September 2026

Author

Public

Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
Displays

Imprint

Display celebrating prints made by early twentieth-century women artists from the University of Reading’s School of Art.

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Dates

9 June 2026 – 17 January 2027

Author

Public

Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
All events and exhibitions

Latest News and Views

Richard Watts film archive
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
May 12, 2026

Watts in the Country: Inclusive Approaches to Rural Film (with the BFI)

We’re collaborating with film NGO Real Time, volunteers, and focus groups to bring the Richard Watts archival film collection to rural communities across Britain.

Author
Madeleine
/
Published Date
March 6, 2026

International Women’s Day 2026: Hidden histories

Discover the stories of three women curators, collectors, and designers in the 20th century.

Handwriting in a farm letter
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
February 25, 2026

Queer histories in the farm records

What can farm records teach us about same-sex relationships? Researcher Tim Jerrome shares his work exploring queer rural experiences.

Exterior of E.M. Barraud's cottage in Cambridgeshire
Author
Lottie
/
Published Date
February 19, 2026

“I am the farm worker going home at evening”: gender fluidity, rural landscapes, and the Women’s Land Army

Library trainee Lottie Wood reflects on gender fluidity in the work of E. M. Barraud, and Barraud’s reflections on her time in the Women’s Land Army

"Cluttered Countryside." A pastiche of different technologies and activities that disrupt the English countryside - from cars, to petrol stations, to tourism.
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
February 13, 2026

Voices of the Countryside

Explore our new exhibition celebrating 100 years of CPRE, whose vital work protects and maintains rural English spaces.

The MERL building, as viewed from the garden.
Author
Ollie
/
Published Date
January 5, 2026

What’s coming up in 2026

This year we’re celebrating the organisations, artists and activists who defend the voices and soul of rural England.

All news and views

4 July 2026

Romany and Traveller Heritage Day

Celebrate Romany and Traveller culture through storytelling, traditional crafts, activities, and more.

17 June 2026, 18+

Summer Late

Discover The MERL in a whole new light. Free, thanks to University of Reading centenary grant support.