James Joyce: a love of language

Stephen Le Heros by James Joyce, open to title page, surrounded by other books from the Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection.
This display of items from the Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection uses translations of James Joyce’s work to explore his place as a European and a citizen of the world. The exhibition opens on the European Day of Languages and closes on Joyce’s birthday. The University of Reading has acquired a major collection of [...]

What is Landscape?

A photograph of the a Lake District landscape with green fields and trees in the foreground and fells in the distance
What does landscape mean to you? Many people care deeply about landscape, but why does it matter to us so much?  ‘What is Landscape?’ will explore the varied and often highly personal meanings that landscape has for us.  There will be short talks by four of the UK’s leading landscape thinkers, followed by an open [...]

Our Green Stories Tours: Our Green Artists

Thomas Hofland, View Across the Park to Whiteknights House, oil on canvas, 1814. UAC/10236.
In our new series of these popular gallery tours, Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational trip around the museum site, exploring our collections, and sharing Green Stories about environment, climate action, social justice, [...]

Our Green Stories Tours: Our Green Fingers

In our new series of these popular gallery tours, Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational trip around the museum site, exploring our collections, and sharing Green Stories about environment, climate action, social justice, [...]

Our Green Stories Tours: Do not feed the animals

Watercolour of an elephant
In our new series of these popular gallery tours, Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational trip around the museum site, exploring our collections, and sharing Green Stories about environment, climate action, social justice, [...]

Our Green Stories Tours: Fossil Fuels

Shellmex in red capital letters on a white shell-shaped petrol globe
In our new series of these popular gallery tours, Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational trip around the museum site, exploring our collections, and sharing Green Stories about environment, climate action, social justice, [...]

Museums on Wheels

Museum on Wheels poster

Our rolling programme, Museums on Wheels is bringing The MERL and Reading Museum to events across Reading with a collection-sharing roadshow offering hands-on activities inspired by ‘Our Green Stories’. Join us for surprising and inspiring insights into our collections and community connections. In 2023 our museums are rolling to: Saturday 10th June – 11 am […]

Summer Screen: MERLvellous Movies

Illustration of a family watching films on a screen outdoors
For the first time, we are bringing outdoor cinema to The MERL’s beautiful garden this Summer! Enjoy family films including Peter Rabbit, Shaun the Sheep and more. All you need to do is buy a ticket, pack your picnic (or enjoy the MERL’s café offerings), and blanket, and join us outside! Weds 2nd Aug, 11am: [...]

Stitch Up

Threads and stitching on fabric

Stitch Up is Jelly’s relaxed sewing social. Bring your own hand sewing project to work on, contribute to our English paper pieced community quilt or make your sewing mark on the Reading Bayeux Tapestry – an ongoing community project creating a local version of the slightly more famous one housed at Reading Museum. Come and […]

‘Climate Change’ Artwork Display

Reading Climate Festival next to anIllustration from Climate Change © Ladybird Books Ltd., 2017

For Reading Climate Festival, we are adding some very special material to the Our Green Stories gallery trail at The MERL. The gallery trail explores six of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through links to items in the MERL collections. In this new display, we will explore these Goals through the artwork from the Ladybird […]

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    Visit Us

    The Museum is now fully open, following a major redevelopment, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

    Free Admission

    The Museum of English Rural Life

    University of Reading

    Redlands Road

    Reading

    RG1 5EX

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