Focus on Collections #3 – Baskets
written by Greta Bertram, Project Officer. Anybody who’s been following the MERL Projects Blog over the past eighteen months will know that I love all things basket-related. My obsession began three years ago when I was writing my dissertation about craft as heritage, and needed to choose one craft to use as a case study. […]
Rural Reads review #1 – Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
MERL’s book club, Rural Reads, has been running for three years. We have read an incredible range of novels, poetry and non-fiction, all with either a rural setting or related to the countryside. In this new feature, Rural Reads regular, Rob Davies, will share his personal views and the group’s reactions to the book they […]
Research Tip #3: Easy as A, B, C
written by Hayley Whiting, Reading Connections Digital Content/Online Engagement Officer Finding out about what is held in the MERL Archive just got a whole lot easier! The A-Z index of archive collections is now available. This is an extremely valuable resource for users looking for information on specific collections and a great way to gain an […]
Picture of the Month #3: Steam-powered buses
written by Caroline Benson, Photographic Asssistant Anyone who has experienced public transport during the hot summer months may like these two photographs where air conditioning is readily available. They are both from an album in the archive of Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Ltd held here at MERL. Both date from the early 1870s and show […]
"Strictly Fab" – Len Goodman joins MERL for Farmyard Fun
written by Guy Baxter, Archivist. Last Thursday was quite a day at MERL, with over 500 visitors enjoying Farmyard Fun with Miller’s Ark, who brought us their sheep, goats, pigs, geese, ducks (with their own paddling pool!) and colourful rare-breed chickens. It was also great to see so many visitors having fun with the animals […]
Volunteers' Voice #4: Summer Volunteers
written by Rob Davies, Volunteer Coordinator. It’s summer and for us at MERL it is a very busy time for us. Our varied host of family activities means that we are very busy with a large footfall of visitors who would otherwise be at school. This is an excellent opportunity for younger visitors to explore […]
My Favourite Object #3: Horse overshoes, or lawn slippers
written by Claire Smith, Weekend Supervisor/Learning Assistant. To learn more about Claire, see her previous post. Before the invention of the lawnmower in 1830, grass would be cut with a scythe, or animals would be allowed to graze on the lawn to keep it short. From the 1850s, horse-drawn lawn mowers were introduced. In order […]
Tom Paganuzzi & Work Experience at MERL
written by Tom Paganuzzi, a secondary school student on work experience at MERL. Having applied for work experience at MERL, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. When I turned up on Monday I was initially intrigued by the building itself. When I met the crew I felt rather welcomed and knew that once I […]
Pinterest & MERL
written by Adam Koszary, Project Officer for Our Country Lives. Everybody – regardless of whether they use them or not – is aware of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. There are also the professional sites such as Yammer and LinkedIn. However, one site which you may not have heard of – and which […]
What's your favourite?
Jonathan Brown, guest curator of our current exhibition of photography by John Tarlton, asks why we are compelled to pick a favourite. (I (Alison) have chosen mine to illlustrate his post!) What’s your favourite? One of the striking things about the exhibition of John Tarlton photographs we have on this summer is how quickly everybody […]