Picture(s) of the month #8: Eric Guy's working horses
I noticed earlier this month that the Royal Mail has just issued a Working Horses stamp set featuring “six contemporary photographs of Working Horses performing therapeutic, ceremonial, environmental, draught and police duties” They’re beautiful stamps which immediately brought to mind the stunning photographs by Eric Guy in the MERL collections. Eric Guy (1892-1966) was a commercial photographer based in Basingstoke […]
Weekly What's On: 17th to 23rd February
You can find full details of all our forthcoming events and activities in our What’s On and MERL Families guides, which are now available from the Museum or to download from our website You can also see all events on our online calendar This week we have lots of half term activities as well as a seminar, guided tours and exhibitions… Half term […]
Discovering the landscape #2 (Landscape Institute project update)
We have been so busy over the last couple of months that we almost forgot to let you know what we’ve been up to! Here’s our progress in pictures… A new library room has been created to accommodate the growing MERL library. Over 500 books have been bib-checked for duplication across the University libraries, with […]
Keep up! Stakeholder consultation on MERL's Our Country Lives project
MERL Curator of Collections and Engagement, Isabel Hughes, brings us up to date with progress on the Our Country Lives project Our project plans are developing quite quickly now and one of the challenges is to keep all our various stakeholders informed including our volunteers, neighbours and other interested parties in the University. Last week […]
Weekly What's On: 10th to 16th February
You can find full details of all our forthcoming events and activities in our What’s On and MERL Families guides, which are now available from the Museum or to download from our website You can also see all events on our online calendar MERL Seminar series: Untouchable England Ghosts and belief: religion and folklore Dr Paul Cowdell, University of Hertfordshire/The Folklore Society […]
Volunteers' Voice #9 – Planning ahead
Volunteer Coordinator, Rob Davies, shares some tips for planning a volunteer programme… At the beginning of each year I sit down and think about what the New Year will hold for the volunteer programme and the volunteers. I make three lists: Beyond my wildest dreams Let’s be realistic here What can the volunteer programme do […]
Weekly What's On: 3rd to 9th February
You can find full details of all our forthcoming events and activities in our What’s On and MERL Families guides, which are now available from the Museum or to download from our website You can also see all events on our online calendar MERL Seminar series: Untouchable England Basketry skills as intangible cultural heritage Greta Bertram, Project Officer, Museum of English Rural […]
Rural Reads Review #4 – Lorna Doone by R.D.Blackmore
Written by Rob Davies, Volunteer Co-Ordinator For the dark winter months of December and January the MERL Book Group ‘Rural Reads’ read Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor by R.D. Blackmore. Lorna Doone is the perfect ‘rural read’, as living and working in the countryside is intrinsic to the story and is integral to the […]
Press release: Wolfson grant to help MERL display hidden treasures
Wolfson grant helps Uni Museum display hidden treasures Visitors to the Museum of English Rural Life will soon be able to discover some of its more hidden treasures thanks to an award of £175,000. The Museum (MERL), which is owned and managed by the University of Reading, is one of 40 museums across the country […]
Weekly What's On: 27th Jan to 2nd Feb
You can find full details of all our forthcoming events and activities in our What’s On and MERL Families guides, which are now available from the Museum or to download from our website You can also see all events on our online calendar MERL Seminar series: Untouchable England The Full English: unlocking hidden treasures of England’s cultural heritage Malcolm Taylor, […]