Poultry Show, Telford
Written by Caroline Gould, Deputy University Archivist The MERL attended the Poultry Club of Great Britain National Show at the weekend (19-20 November 2016). It was held at the International Centre, Telford. The MERL took a display of items from the David Scrivener Collection, an expert on poultry. It was the first time The MERL […]
Discovering the Landscape: how to use our collections in your research
Are you an undergraduate, postgraduate, independent researcher or at school? Are you studying history, geography, architecture, environmental science, ecology or design? Then come and use our landscape collections in your research (if you’re an undergraduate apply for one of our landscape student bursaries). We’ve even got topic and resource ideas listed here. So why use […]
Archives featured in the Galleries
Written by Caroline Gould, Deputy University Archivist The new galleries were opened on 19 October 2016, after a £3million redevelopment programme with £1.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Prior to the redevelopment, the galleries contained a large number of objects with little interpretation. We were keen to include archives, archival film and photographs […]
Shaping the Land – why is the first of our new galleries all about trees?
Written by Guy Baxter, Archivist The first space that visitors to the new MERL galleries enter is deceptively simple. It contains one object (a timber carriage), one large picture (an oak tree) and one literary quotation. Thanks to the projected animation and immersive soundscape, visitors can also see and hear the seasons change in the […]
War Child
The MERL is very excited to announce the publication of War Child, an online ‘mixed-media book’ which explores our Evacuee Archive from a fascinating new angle. In this visually stunning work, Teresa Murjas, Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Theatre & Television at the University of Reading, and alumnus and film-maker James Rattee have woven […]
Food takes first prize at the Berkshire Show
Science engagement officer, Robyn Hopcroft, gives a recap of a busy weekend for The MERL at the Royal County of Berkshire Show. Photography by Anna Bruce for First Food Residency. I don’t think there’s anything quite like the Royal Berkshire Show. It’s a weird and wonderful melting pot of British culture. In amongst dancing sheep, […]
Discovering the Landscape: Preparation, progress and preservation – 3 years on
Plans, papers, press cuttings and publications…. we have spent a busy three years working on the Landscape Institute collections here at MERL. Alongside continuing to work on the collections to make them available, we are now looking to encourage use, awareness and engagement with our rich and varied landscape heritage collections. What have we achieved? […]
Ladybird books needed!
Do you have any Ladybird books at home that you no longer want to keep or that your children no longer read? Would you like to help contribute to a display in the new galleries at The MERL? We are looking for Ladybird books to form part of a duplicate set of the books which we will use […]
Pledge your apples!
Do you have an apple tree? Do you hate to see rotten apples on the ground going to waste? We have a solution!! At our Grand Opening Festival on October 22nd, Richard Paget from ‘My Apple Juice’ will be pressing apples into delicious juice. Richard is on a mission to reduce food waste and bring communities […]
Discovering the Landscape: landscape research bursaries available
This year, thanks to generous funding from the Landscape Institute, we are pleased to offer bursaries to encourage use and engagement with our varied and fascinating landscape collections. Read more about our Landscape Institute collection here, including the collections of Geoffrey Jellicoe, Sylvia Crowe and Brenda Colvin. See a full list of our collections here. […]