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Sew What?

January 24, 2023 - September 1, 2024
The Museum of English Rural Life, The Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX United Kingdom
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Model wearing a cape that is part of the Sew What exhibition

We are all starting to ask more questions about fashion. Where do our clothes come from? How environmentally sustainable are they? Should we be making more and buying less? These questions are not just relevant to our modern society. The history of garment making is one deeply intertwined with British culture, both rural and urban. […]

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In Conversation with Bill Hooks

January 31, 2023 - May 7, 2023
The Museum of English Rural Life, The Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX United Kingdom
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A small bill hook with a wooden handle lying on top of a larger blade

This display in the Digging Deeper gallery at The MERL links to a collaborative recent project between artist Alice Blackstock and designer/maker Philip Crewe that investigated a bladed tool called a billhook. The 2019 collaboration was initiated by a visit to the extensive collections of The MERL and developed into the creation of five object […]

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Among the Trees

February 14, 2023 - April 16, 2023
The Museum of English Rural Life, The Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX United Kingdom
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Close up of leaves from oaktree detail from a Michael O'Connell wallhanging at The MERL

This exhibition in the Staircase Hall, Community Case and MERL galleries explores the complex relationship between humans and trees. Using the MERL and Special Collections it examines treescapes and themes of folklore, myth, craft, outdoor learning, and wellbeing. It has been designed by third year Museum Studies students at the University of Reading in collaboration […]

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Our Green Stories Gallery Trail

February 25, 2023 - December 28, 2023
The Museum of English Rural Life, The Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX United Kingdom
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Free
Our Green Stories logo

Follow a new gallery trail and delve into environmental issues past and present Our Green Stories is a Museums Partnership Reading campaign exploring climate change, sustainability, and biodiversity loss through collections. Pick up a free copy of the trail at reception, and use our galleries to help you consider ways we can all care for […]

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Spring Family Activity Pack

March 18, 2023 - June 16, 2023
The Museum of English Rural Life, The Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX United Kingdom
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£4
Bunny in the grass

SPRING-INSPIRED THINGS TO DO IN THE MUSEUM, GARDEN AND AT HOME! Pick up your activity pack at the museum shop. £4 per pack. For families with children aged 5+, this pack includes a selection of crafts, recipes from our library collections to try at home, a gallery trail, colouring, a themed story and more! Remember […]

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11:30 am

Our Green Stories Tours with Mike Goodman

March 21, 2023 @ 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
The Museum of English Rural Life, The Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX United Kingdom
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Free
Visitors in The MERL galleries

Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational trip through the galleries, exploring our collections, and sharing Green Stories about environment, climate action, social justice, and the life and future of the planet. Each tour […]

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