Museum of English Rural Life facts for kids
The Museum of English Rural Life
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| Established | 1951 |
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| Location | Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Type | Agricultural museum |
| Accreditation | Arts Council England National Archives |
The Museum of English Rural Life, often called the MERL, is a special museum, library, and archive. It's all about showing how farming and life in the countryside have changed in England over time. The museum has amazing collections of objects, old papers, photos, films, and books that are really important for understanding England's history. It also holds many rare books and old writings from the University of Reading.
The museum is part of the University of Reading. You can find it in Reading, a town in southern England. The building used to be a house called East Thorpe House and later a student hall named St. Andrews Hall. It's a recognized museum and archive, meaning its collections are well-cared for and important.
Contents
History of the MERL
From Home to Museum
The building where the museum is now was first a house called East Thorpe. It was designed in 1880 by Alfred Waterhouse for Alfred Palmer. He was a famous biscuit maker from Huntley & Palmers. Alfred Palmer was a big supporter of the University of Reading. In 1911, East Thorpe was made bigger and became St. Andrews Hall. This was a place for women students at the university to live.
Opening and Moving
The museum itself started in 1951. It grew from the university's long history of teaching about farming. It first opened to the public in 1955 on the university's main campus. St. Andrews Hall stopped being a student home in 2001.
New Home and Updates
After St. Andrews Hall closed, the building was made ready for the museum. This cost about £11 million. The money came from the university, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and public donations. The new museum opened in 2005. It still has the old East Thorpe building, but a new building was added next to it. These two different buildings look out onto beautiful gardens. This creates a unique place for a countryside collection in the middle of a city.
The museum was updated again from 2013 to 2016. This project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Wellcome Trust, and the University of Reading. The museum officially reopened on October 22, 2016. It now has ten new galleries. One gallery is even dedicated to artwork from Ladybird Books, which the university also looks after.
MERLin the Bat
In February 2019, a bat was found living at the museum. The museum staff named the bat MERLin. They even gave him his own library card!
What You Can See: The Collections
The Museum of English Rural Life has more than 25,000 objects. Almost all of them are on display for visitors to see. These items show what rural England was like from 1750 to today.
Types of Collections
The museum takes care of many different things, including:
- Pictures of farm animals.
- Art that shows scenes of country life.
- Hand tools used for farming.
- Different types of ploughs.
- Old farm machines.
- Sewing machines and other equipment.
The museum also has a special library. It includes the library of the Tools & Trades History Society. This means there are many books and documents about old tools and how people used to make things.
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Entrance to the Museum
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The Welcome Case
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Detail of the Making Rural England Gallery
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A Year on the Farm Gallery
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The rear garden, with the original East Thorpe House in the centre
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