The Museum of English Rural Life

Tying Up Threads

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Digital labels – Making Rural England

Reminiscent of daily rural life, this gallery showcases rural culture through crafts, living spaces, hunting and more. The diversity of countryside people throughout history is encapsulated by these displays.

Digital labels – Forces for Change

Farming has existed since humankind could walk, and has constantly been propelled forward by new tools and technologies. This gallery is dedicated to these advancements in farming, and highlights innovations that led to social as well as agricultural changes, such as the threshing machine.

51 Voices

Featured image for the online exhibition.
The MERL is 70 | 51 Voices | 51 Objects To mark our 70th year in 2021, we explored objects connected to 1951, the year the museum was established. We worked with artists and writers from many different communities and backgrounds to link these items to the priorities and passions of the past, present, and [...]

Digital labels – Town and Country

Sometimes the lines between rural and urban can become blurred, which this gallery demonstrates. It focuses on the crossover between town and country, including healthcare practice, advances in technology, and allotment farming.

Digital labels – A Year on the Farm

Working life on the farm changes according to the season. In this gallery, discover where food comes from and learn how we have access to it all year round. To find out more about an object, click the icon hovering above it.