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Picture of the month #2: Tilting tractor

Author
Alison Hilton
Published Date
July 25, 2013

<This month’s picture has been selected by Guy Baxter, University Archivist, as one of the images featured in a new MERL calendar…

 

Demonstrating tilting. MERL P FW PH1_74689
Demonstrating tilting. MERL P FW PH1_74689

This image, from the photographic archive of Farmers Weekly, shows a Fordson Major tractor demonstrating tilting in 1947 – it was clearly an important test because the driver is wearing a tie and a white coat! The image is one of the many striking photographs featured in the MERL Tractor Calendar 2014, which will be available from the MERL shop this Autumn.

As well as photographs, MERL also has important collections of engineering drawings, instruction manuals, trade literature and promotional films relating to all types of farm machinery. And of course there are 3 of the most iconic tractors on display in the main gallery

Author
madeleineding
/
Published Date
March 6, 2026

International Women’s Day 2026: Hidden histories

Discover the stories of three women curators, collectors, and designers in the 20th century.

Handwriting in a farm letter
Author
Joe
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Published Date
February 25, 2026

Queer histories in the farm records

What can farm records teach us about same-sex relationships? Researcher Tim Jerrome shares his work exploring queer rural experiences.

Exterior of E.M. Barraud's cottage in Cambridgeshire
Author
lottiewood
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Published Date
February 19, 2026

“I am the farm worker going home at evening”: gender fluidity, rural landscapes, and the Women’s Land Army

Library trainee Lottie Wood reflects on gender fluidity in the work of E. M. Barraud, and Barraud’s reflections on her time in the Women’s Land Army

"Cluttered Countryside." A pastiche of different technologies and activities that disrupt the English countryside - from cars, to petrol stations, to tourism.
Author
Joe
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Published Date
February 13, 2026

Voices of the Countryside

Explore our new exhibition celebrating 100 years of CPRE, whose vital work protects and maintains rural English spaces.

The MERL building, as viewed from the garden.
Author
Ollie Douglas
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Published Date
January 5, 2026

What’s coming up in 2026

This year we’re celebrating the organisations, artists and activists who defend the voices and soul of rural England.

Hedgehog extravaganza
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
July 24, 2025

The Friday Walks, with Man in the Woods

In this episode of The MERL podcast, we speak to Bristol-based artist Scott about his artistic practice documenting weird Britain.