Cattle, colonialism, and conversations about land
MERL Curator, Dr Ollie Douglas explores connections between The MERL and British agricultural influence in East Africa following a trip to Kenya and Tanzania last year.
Glow Up! St Andrew’s Staircase Hall Redevelopment Project
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Ploughs and Ploughing: some reflections from the headland
On Plough Monday, MERL Curator, Dr Ollie Douglas, discusses his appearance on Radio 4 Farming Today’s special programme on ploughing, and the MERL’s collection of ploughs.
Advising the Nation: the MAFF bulletins
As the project to catalogue The MERL’s collection of bulletins published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is completed, Collections Librarian, Claudia Ricci explores the history and significance of the publications.
Yule never baa-lieve it: a case for the Yule Goat at Christmas
The MERL’s Collections Researcher, Tim Jerrome investigates pagan influence on Christmas traditions, and asks why we don’t include the Yule Goat in our celebrations in England.
The MERL is going Further Afield
Collections Researcher Tim Jerrome introduces our newest project at The MERL, Further Afield, which trials new approaches to community driven museum outputs, working with groups who have been historically underrepresented in the countryside.
Blueprints steam ahead!
As we launch a new range of bespoke products inspired by the engineering drawings held in the MERL archives, discover what makes this one of our most consulted collections and find out how enthusiasts use the collections to help with restoration projects.
Launching the Youth Manifesto
As museums across the country celebrate Kids in Museums’ Takeover Day, we are taking the opportunity to share Museum Partnership Reading’s Youth Manifesto, a short film made by young people expressing their views on our museums and how they could be more relevant to them in future.
From Britain to South Africa (and back again)
Discover fascinating details from a recently digitised series of extraordinary mid-century photographs that provide evidence to fill gaps in the history of some of the most iconic items now held in the collection of The MERL.
The campaigns of the Women’s Institute
Work experience student, Amelie Roome, delves into the archives of the Women’s Institute to examine the Institute’s role in the historical and contemporary English countryside.