VIBRANT LOCALISM: THE STORY OF COMMON GROUND – JOS SMITH
22 March. Dr. Jos Smith, ‘Vibrant Localism: The Story of Common Ground’ Jos will introduce the work of Common Ground and plot their emergence from the environmental activism of the 1970s. He will also explore their particular relationship to rural England in which the idea of the local found itself re-energised in subtle but political […]
CANCELLED: Radical tours and rustic harangues: William Cobbett and John Thelwell – James Grande
CANCELLED – 1 March: James Grande, ‘Radical tours and rustic harangues: William Cobbett and John Thelwell’ This talk will explore the radical tradition of rural writing through the work of two Romantic period polemicists, William Cobbett and John Thelwall. It will focus on their tours, principally Rural Rides (1830) and The Peripatetic (1793), as well as their agricultural experiments, political […]
John Clare and Place: Simon Kövesi
15 February: Simon Kövesi, ‘John Clare and Place’ The Romantic-period peasant poet John Clare is increasingly regarded as English literature’s first major ecologically-conscious writer. This appreciation is built upon a idea that Clare is committed to a specific locality, a tight rural environment, and that his identification with his village of Helpston in Cambridgeshire was comprehensive and […]
THE WILD OTHER: ON LANDSCAPE AND GRIEF – Clover Stroud
18 January: Clover Stroud, ‘The Wild Other: On Landscape and Grief’ At this reading Clover will read extracts from The Wild Other, her confessional memoir about the role horses and the landscape of Oxfordshire have played in managing trauma in her life. She will talk about the riding accident, and subsequent profound brain damage, that her […]
EXTENDED HOURS: MARCH – CANCELLED
The Extended Hours Night is cancelled due to snowy conditions. The Anatomy for Artists seminar will be rescheduled. Thursday 1st March Not enough hours in the day? We’re open late on the last Thursday of every month*, so you can visit the reading room, museum galleries, shop, cafe and garden until 9pm. There are usually […]
NOVEMBER LATE OPENING NIGHT
We’re open late on the last Thursday of every month*, so you can visit the museum galleries, shop, cafe and garden until 9pm. There are usually additional activities taking place on our late opening nights to add to your visit. Thursday 28th November Enjoy an after-hours visit and a bit of stress-free Christmas shopping in our […]
EXTENDED HOURS WEEK FOR GROUPS – AUTUMN
This special week of extended opening hours just for groups is a perfect opportunity for to enjoy an evening visit to The MERL. Come on your usual meeting night or plan a special trip! The museum galleries, shop, and cafe will all be open until 9pm. Booking is essential and we will confirm bookings on a […]
EXTENDED HOURS WEEK FOR GROUPS – SUMMER
This special week of extended opening hours just for groups is a perfect opportunity for to enjoy an evening visit to The MERL. Come on your usual meeting night or plan a special trip! The museum galleries, shop, and cafe will all be open until 9pm. Booking is essential and we will confirm bookings on a […]
EXTENDED HOURS WEEK FOR GROUPS – SPRING
This special week of extended opening hours just for groups is a perfect opportunity for to enjoy an evening visit to The MERL. Come on your usual meeting night or plan a special trip! The museum galleries, shop, and cafe will all be open until 9pm. Booking is essential and we will confirm bookings on a […]
BRITISH AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES: PAST, PRESENT & POST-BREXIT
How can our much loved, multi-functional, protected and neglected agricultural landscapes – conflict ridden, economically challenging and bureaucraticised – be sustained for the future? FOLAR’s 2018 symposium focuses on British agricultural landscapes since 1945, and considers the post-Brexit future. A day of challenging talks with Q and A sessions from a stellar range of knowledgeable […]