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Adults (18+)

Winter Late

Discover our galleries after hours with drinks, activities, pop-up displays, and tours

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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
Get directions

Opening hours

Full opening hours

What’s on

The time capsule project team in the garden
Displays

Farming the Future

Learn about the contents of a time capsule buried in The MERL garden this summer, reflecting on the next 100 years of farming.

Find out more
Dates

6 October 2026 – 17 January 2027

Author

Public

Location
Community Case
Event

Winter Late (18+)

Experience The Museum of English Rural Life after hours in an evening of tours, crafts and drinks.

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Dates

Wednesday 18 November 2026, 18:00 – 21:00

Author

Adults

Price

£5 adults / £3 University of Reading students & staff

Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
2 women enjoying a craft in the MERL Studio at a Late.
Event

Welcome Social (University of Reading)

Join us for a relaxed welcome afternoon at the museum. Open to all University of Reading students.

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Dates

Wednesday 7 October 2026, 13:00 – 15:00

Price

Free, register to attend

Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
All events and exhibitions

News and views

Guy Baxter at The MERL
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
September 30, 2026

Leadership changes: Guy Baxter becomes our new Director

Guy Baxter becomes the new Director of the University of Reading’s Museums and Collections, as Kate Arnold-Forster and Isabel Hughes depart.

Richard Watts with a tractor and film reels
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
September 23, 2026

Beyond nostalgia

How do we help audiences of today encounter films from the past?

Friday Fledglings brand logo – a cartoon bird jumps through autumnal leaves
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
September 17, 2026

A new Friday Fledglings brand has hatched

An iconic under-5s group deserves iconic design.

Author
Joe
/
Published Date
September 15, 2026

Digitising the Fowler archives

Learn about our project to improve access to our Fowler archives of engine drawings, including 7,171 new drawings in our database.

Robert Davey
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
September 1, 2026

Remembering Robert Davey

All of us at The Museum of English Rural Life are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Robert Davey – a valued member of our community.

Merle the bat, asleep in a glove
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
August 19, 2026

So we found a live bat in our galleries (again)

Seven years after we gave a bat a library card, another bat has visited The Museum of English Rural Life.

All news and views
Looking across raised beds and lawn in the MERL garden to the back of the MERL building

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Family fun

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.

Our weekly under 5s group

Friday Fledglings

Discover the joys of outdoor learning through song, play, and crafts in our garden. Back for another school year.