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Weekly what's on: Sept 8th to 14th

Author
Alison Hilton
Published Date
September 8, 2014

You can find details of all our forthcoming events at on our What’s On pages, but here’s what’s happening at MERL this week…

Events

HOD2_MB_RGBHeritage Open Day tours
Thurs 11th, Fri 12th 11am & Sunday 14th, 3pm (house only)
Free, booking required
Join us for a free behind the scenes tour of our Victorian home and see some treasures in the archive and rare book stores.

Family Heritage Open Day tour
Saturday 13th, 3pm, free, booking required
For the first time we are inviting families to see what’s behind the scenes at MERL! Find out what’s in those parts of the Museum you’re not usually allowed to visit!

 

Guided tourGuided tours
Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays, 3-3.45pm
Free, booking advisable but not essential
Let our fully trained tour guides tell you the stories behind the objects on display and visit the object store to see MERL’s hidden treasures.

 

 

 

jethro 8 cutout flipToddler Time
Friday, 10am, £2 per child, drop-in
Join us for songs and rhymes followed by a craft activity inspired by the Museum’s collections and garden.

 

 

 

 

2Conservation project
There is currently a unique opportunity to see one of our 1951 Festival of Britain wall hangings. Conservation work is currently underway in the Museum gallery to prepare them for display as part of MERL’s redevelopment project. Don’t miss this rare opportunity during your visit to see detailed conservation work taking place and to catch a glimpse of these incredible pieces which have not been seen in over 60 years. Read more about the project in our conservation blogs

 

 

 

 

greenhamCollecting the countryside: 20th century rural cultures
Until Autumn 2014
Temporary exhibition space
Free, drop in, normal museum opening times
Since 2008 the Museum of English Rural Life has been adding even more objects to its collection, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures programme, in order to represent each decade of the last century. (Find out more in Curator, Isabel Hughes’ recent post) This exhibition gives a taste of what has been acquired and challenges visitors to suggest the modern-day objects that the Museum needs to collect for the future. The exhibition will help the Museum to explore how to incorporate more recent histories and representations of the English countryside into its displays as part of the new Our Country Lives project.

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.

School group in the garden
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
July 21, 2025

Another brilliant school year

Learn about the highlights of our schools and learning programmes from the 2024/25 academic year.

Jo Clement (a woman with long brown hair and glasses) holds an object at The MERL
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
April 4, 2025

Announcing our new Fellow, Dr Jo Clement

Read how our new MERL Fellow, Dr Jo Clement, is engaging with the Robert Dawson Romany Collection to explore the heritage of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people in England.

Shepherds herding sheep across a valley.
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
February 7, 2025

Voices: introducing our 2025 programme

Get the highlights of what’s coming up in the first half of 2025: from exhibitions and displays, to free tours and talks, plus the announcement of our official podcast.

The top of a letter to William Champion, farmer
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
February 5, 2025

Thomas and Austen: a gay relationship in the MERL archives?

For LGBTQ+ History Month 2025, researcher Tim Jerrome shares how he’s using rural archives to research same-sex relationships in the countryside.

A. Hedley Richmond's drawing of a proposed garden and Lewisham Hospital
Author
Joe
/
Published Date
January 6, 2025

Landscapes of public health

How does public health impact the design of public spaces? We recap the contents of the 2024 symposium of FOLAR (Friends of the Landscape Archive at Reading), held at The MERL.