Time to Picnic: Top 10 tips from The MERL

Picnics. Sandwiches. Cake. Slightly too warm lemonade. Wasps. Picnics are a staple of the summer. They’re a great way to get outside and to experience all that the countryside has to offer. Indeed people have been enjoying eating outside for hundreds of years. In the late 1600s the pleasure gardens at Vauxhall sold cold meats in supper boxes or people brought their own food for eating outside. The Victorians and Edwardians enjoyed picnics in the countryside, at the coast, historical places of interest and sporting events.

In Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management 1861 edition she provides a ‘Bill of Fare for a picnic for 40 people’. This extravagant menu with a list of essential items includes ‘3 corkscrews’. Picnics can range from sandwiches to gourmet dishes, from a formal meal with tables laid with flower vases to a blanket on the ground using your hands.

But what do you need to have a great picnic excursion? Here are some object suggestions from The Museum of English Rural Life collection.

1. Seating

First of all where are you going to sit for your picnic? We have a few seating choices in the collection. This horse blanket (MERL 68/450) is ideal to keep you off the ground, while patchwork quilts can provide both you and your picnic with a little extra cushion. This bedcover (62/535) has a log cabin patchwork design, built up in square pieces which have been individually lined and stitched together. Or you may want a stool (MERL 60/437) to lift you off the ground.  This two-legged stool is for a narrow boat and was painted by Frank Jones, and came from the workshop of Canal Wharf Works at Linslade, Bedfordshire.

2. Food and Drink

Next what are you going to eat and drink? We don’t have any food or drink in The MERL collection so instead here are a selection of eating and drinking vessels. This horn beaker (MERL 51/624) is carved from a single piece of horn and is decorated with carved grooves on the inside. Horn is a robust material that isn’t prone to breaking unlike glass or pottery. It is made from a section of a bullock’s horn which has been cleansed, scraped, polished and pared away. This beaker was used by George Hine, a roadworker in the East Hendred area.

3. Bottle

This glass bottle (MERL 69/29) has a fixed basketwork cover on the upper half and removable metal cover on the lower half. The basketwork protects the glass from knocks and bumps.

4. Plate

This decorative plate (MERL 97/13) depicts agricultural implements and rural people. It’s pottery so be careful! The inscription ‘God speed the plough’ is a reference to the poem ‘A Farmer’s Arms’ that celebrates the independence and productivity of farmers. The poem is written on the underside of this plate and also features on other objects in our collection, including a two-handled cider mug (MERL 84/26). This plate was made by Burgess & Leigh Ltd. in 1862.

5. Jug

If you are looking for a boozy picnic this harvest jug is for you. Harvest jugs were made for the alcoholic celebration that followed a successful harvest. This earthenware jug (MERL 60/146) with sgraffito decoration is an example of Barnstaple ware. The jug is inscribed with a harvest poem on the reverse and signed ‘August 1838, John Prouse, Hartland’.

6. Games

Once you’ve enjoyed your meal how about a game? This cricket ball, in various stages of manufacturer, is in the collection. Make sure you pick the completed ball! The balls (MERL 60/562/1-16) were supplied by John Wisden & Co. Ltd., sellers of cricketing equipment, of Penshurst, Kent, in about 1945–6. We also have cricket bat samples loaned to the Museum by The County Sports Works in Saint Neots, Cambridgeshire. Cricket is an old English game that continues to be played on village pitches as well as internationally.

7. Toy

This toy tractor would be fun to drive outside. This Tri-ang Major tractor (MERL 93/91) is pedal-powered. The drawing stuck on each side of the central plate represents the engine. The donor received it as a present on his fourth or fifth birthday in 1952 or 1953. Tri-ang toys were produced by Lines Bros Ltd who made a wide range of toys from dolls houses to model railways.

8. Parasol

If the English sunshine becomes too much to bear, a parasol is a perfect way to create shade and provide protection from the sun. This cream and pink striped cotton parasol (MERL 93/21) with lace edging has a handle made of cane. It came from the home of a local Reading family. If you want to invest in a parasol check out this blog.

9. Map

This Motoring and Hiking Map (MERL 2010/156) is essential for people venturing into the countryside. This map dates from the 1920s and covers areas of the south coast. It is based on Ordnance Survey maps and is at a scale of 3 miles to 1 inch. Although it might be a bit out of date now!

10. Picnic Basket

And finally the museum has a wide choice of picnic baskets to hold everything. Modern purpose made baskets provide all the crockery and cutlery needed for a picnic.

Enjoy your picnic!

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