The Road Ahead: our new Fellow, Dr Jo Clement
Read how our new MERL Fellow, Dr Jo Clement, is engaging with the Robert Dawson Romany Collection to explore the heritage of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people in England.
Voices: introducing our 2025 programme
Get the highlights of what’s coming up in the first half of 2025: from exhibitions and displays, to free tours and talks, plus the announcement of our official podcast.
Thomas and Austen: a gay relationship in the MERL archives?
For LGBTQ+ History Month 2025, researcher Tim Jerrome shares how he’s using rural archives to research same-sex relationships in the countryside.
Landscapes of public health
How does public health impact the design of public spaces? We recap the contents of the 2024 symposium of FOLAR (Friends of the Landscape Archive at Reading), held at The MERL.
Disability History Month 2024: Opening pathways to work
Phillippa Heath, Head of Learning and Engagement, reflects on how we support young disabled people to open pathways to employment.
‘The Final Straw’: Reflecting on the 2024 Farmer Protests
MERL curator Dr Ollie Douglas reflects on the 2024 London farmer protests, and how they speak to his family’s farming history.
Changing Perspectives: Growing Resilience with Alternative Proteins
We interview animal scientist Omolade Awodola-Peters on African livestock agriculture, insect farming, and regenerative methods.
Changing Perspectives: Bringing Home the Bacon
In this entry in our Changing Perspectives blog series, we interview Flavian Obiero, aka The Kenyan Pig Farmer.
Changing Perspectives: Reimagining Food Production with the Urban Farmer
We interview Taz Khan, who runs London’s Community Kitchen and promotes agricultural education, as well as opening a farm in Harrow.
Changing Perspectives: Earth Tenders, Land Workers
An interview with Ali Yellop of Earth Tenders, about food as the site of interaction between the personal and the political.