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Free and low-cost family fun

October Half Term

Enjoy free and low-cost trails, make-and-takes, and special activities throughout the school holidays.

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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

Ladies sipping tea, part of the Cheshire wall hanging
Event

The Big Draw

Join one of the talented artists from the Jelly and the team at The MERL for the Big Draw Festival.

Find out more
Dates

Thursday 29 October 2026, 10:00 – 15:00

Author

Public

Price
Free
Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
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.

Book Now
Dates

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

Author

Adults

Price
£3 – £5
Location
The Museum of English Rural Life
All events and exhibitions

News and views

Row of 12 women marching together, employees at The National Institute in Dairying in the early-mid 20th
Author
Claudia
/
Published Date
October 13, 2026

Women in dairying: from dairymaids to leading scientists

A journey along our library’s shelves reveals the changing role of women in dairying and cheesemaking, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

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.

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.

Adults (18+)

Winter Late

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