Pictures of the month #7 – Floods in Berkshire

Author
Alison Hilton
Published Date
January 16, 2014

Photographic Assistant, Caroline Benson has selected 2 particularly topical images from our collections this month…

 

P DX355_66

 

The subject of this month’s photographs will seem all too familiar to many people living by the Thames. They show the floods of November 1895 in the riverside village of Pangbourne in Berkshire. Small boats & punts can be seen transporting people along the streets & walkways constructed from wooden planks are used as pavements. The photographs are from the Sulham House Collection of some two hundred and forty prints showing life in and around Sulham between the 1880s & 1920s.

 

P DX355_67

 

 

 

Latest 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