Fowler: National and International Steam Power
Ploughing is one of the most essential jobs on the farm, as it tills the earth and results in a stronger yield. Introduced in the latter half of the 19th century, steam ploughing began to mechanise the process. It allowed for greater productivity and speed at a time of enormous population growth which demanded more […]
The Commons: Re-Enchanting The World
The commons defines the natural capital that we all share: land, air, and water. It is a social system that cares for and preserves these resources. When the commons are made inaccessible, the effects are devastating. As part of our project The Commons: Re-Enchanting The World, six artists with different responses to the commons have […]
Space to Think: Rural Wellbeing
University of Reading, Third Year Museum Studies Students working with The MERL have curated this exhibition. They have planned the exhibition during lockdown, with restricted access to collections and while learning remotely. The online exhibition accompanies a physical exhibition on site at The MERL. This exhibition covers an issue many people encounter and shines a […]
Queer Constellations: The Histories of Rural Gay Men
Criminal archives are the most common source of gay histories, as male homosexuality was illegal until 1967. Through searching assize records on Ancestry, and investigating court reports via the British Newspaper Archive, we identified rural occupations for some of the men placed on trial. By comparing these occupations to objects in our collection, we aim […]
Our Travelling Museum – Garland Junior
On 16th June 2021, we visited Garland Junior School to share a number of objects that explored ‘What it means to Travel?’ This forms part of our work for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller History Month (GRTHM), which you can learn more about on our blog and social media channels. We began by looking at a […]
GRT History Month: An Unfinished Painting
Whilst the origins of the below painting are somewhat shrouded in mystery, much can be learned from it about the lives of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, even in its unfinished state. By exploring The MERL’s Bob Dawson Collection and the museum library, we have been able to identify the different aspects of Traveller life […]
Rural Queer Lives in Berkshire Criminal Archives 1861-1967
The Broken Futures project was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2019 and seeks to explore the history of ‘ordinary’ men in Berkshire who were charged with buggery/indecent assault/gross indecency between 1861-1967. The project trained community volunteers in archival and genealogical research. The project is managed and delivered by Support U, the LGBT+ support […]
Life Stories
Throughout the last year, The MERL has had the opportunity to partner with Age UK Berkshire and Younger People With Dementia to deliver a storytelling project focused on capturing the life stories of Reading’s older population. Age UK research suggests 16% of the over 65s often feel invisible or ignored. Loneliness can happen at all […]
Farmer Arthur’s Paper Theatre
Local artist Lisa-Marie Gibbs has joined our 70th anniversary celebration, 51 Voices. She is one of a handful of talented, creative people who have been commissioned to work with our diverse communities. Each partnership links to an item from the collection connected to 1951, our foundational year. Lisa-Marie worked with Downshire House to respond to […]
The Groundnut Scheme: A colonial failure
The ill-fated Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme was planned and put into practice in the mid-twentieth century, coming to an abrupt end in 1951. The story of its collapse is a powerful example of why top-down, colonial approaches to agricultural development often struggled to produce the desired results. It raises important questions about why the voices of […]