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Temporary reading room move – September 2021

Author
Adam Lines
Published Date
July 26, 2021

Between 31 August and 24 September 2021, the reading room will be moving to the Conference Room to make way for essential maintenance work.

The Conference Room is located above the current reading room and can be accessed via the staircase or lift from the locker room.

Closure days

During this period, however, we will be closed on the following days:

• Tuesday – 7th September
• Thursday – 9th September
• Wednesday – 15th September
• Tuesday – 21st September
• Wednesday – 22nd September

We will be opening on Monday 6th, 13th and 20th to provide additional capacity during this period.

Arrangements

We will keep our current arrangements and opening times. Please visit our reading room page to find out how to arrange a visit. The only exception is the open access library corridor – we will not be able to allow access for browsing. Books and periodicals can be ordered in advance along with archive and rare book items.

Spaces will be limited to 5 researchers a day, so we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause.

Robert Davey
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
September 1, 2026

Remembering Robert Davey

All of us at The Museum of English Rural Life are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Robert Davey – a valued member of our community.

Merle the bat, asleep in a glove
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
August 19, 2026

So we found a live bat in our galleries (again)

Seven years after we gave a bat a library card, another bat has visited The Museum of English Rural Life.

three glass pint milk bottles
Author
Madeleine
/
Published Date
June 15, 2026

Milking Time: Bacteriology and Pasteurisation

Explore the University of Reading’s role in dairying research into milk pasteurisation.

Richard Watts film archive
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
May 12, 2026

Watts in the Country: Inclusive Approaches to Rural Film (with the BFI)

We’re collaborating with film NGO Real Time, volunteers, and focus groups to bring the Richard Watts archival film collection to rural communities across Britain.

Author
Madeleine
/
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
/
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.