Skip to content

The reading room is home!

Author
Alison Hilton
Published Date
November 19, 2021
detail of the stained glass peacock window in the reading room at The MERL

We are pleased to announce that we will be re-opening the reading room in its usual space from Tuesday 23rd November 2021.

This means that we will have capacity for up to ten researchers a day, with full access to the books, journals and pamphlets in the open access library.

Opening times will remain the same: Tuesday-Friday, 9.30-12.30 and 13.30-16.00 (we will close for an hour at lunch).

Bookings and requests for material must still be made in advance. Find out how to do so on our reading room page. We recommend visiting this page to familiarise yourself with the most up-to-date procedures to avoid disappointment.

We will have the windows open to provide ventilation (bring extra layers on cold days) and we ask that researchers please continue to wear face coverings throughout their visits.

Thank you for your patience over the last couple of months while essential building work took place. We know that this has caused inconvenience to many of our researchers.

Plan your visit to the reading room.

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.

three glass pint milk bottles
Author
Madeleine
/
Published Date
June 15, 2026

Milking time: Bacteriology and pasteurisation

Explore the University of Reading’s role in dairying research into milk pasteurisation.