The Museum of English Rural Life — Attraction in Reading

I visited here on a Friday morning around 10am. I parked my motorcycle in the car park by the entrance. At the time I got there, both disabled bays were free and several regular parking bays were free too.

Entry is free, although there is a sign requesting a suggested donation of £5 if you feel like it.

The museum is fully accessible with an automatic entry door operated by a plunger. The main museum displays are at ground level with a disabled, multi use toilet available at the far end near the lift. The lift goes up one floor and was where Mums were taking their children.

The main display was Wagon Walk;a large collection of restored wagons and carts dating from the 1700s up to the mid 1900s. There’s plenty of information available to read, but the display was a bit cramped and half wasn’t well lit either making it difficult to appreciate the finer points of the display.

On the next section I came to were descriptions of the life and achievements of farmers and farm labourers, both at work and in the home. Here were displayed tractors, a threshing machine and an early Land Rover amongst others and artifacts used in rural life.

The last section describes the work done in each season and includes descriptions of why they were done that way.

Finally there is a comfortable coffee shop and gift shop by the entrance/exit and you may also go outside into the garden.

Overall an interesting experience and worth a visit. Time spent was...

I’ve been wanting to visit the MERL for over a year now after it found fame with its Absolute Unit and today I finally got the chance.

The museum is one of the best small museums I think I’ve ever been to. And it’s free! A slick modern design and great interpretation of the objects creates a perfect way of working through the rooms learning about all aspects of country life across different counties and different centuries.

The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and there there’s plenty of games and fun facts to keep the kids (and big kids) entertained.

Overall it’s a fine way to spend an afternoon and if you’re a UoR student or Reading resident then get yourself down there.

The only thing that I could pick out as a possible improvement would be a chance to round things off with what the experiences and issues affecting rural life are like in the 21st century. From the climate crisis to building on green belt land there’s a of topics which I think the MERL could have a valuable voice on.

(Finally if you’re looking for the Absolute Unit and the Chicken in Trousers they’re located in the first main room on the changing seasons of the countryside in one of...

This museum was larger than I expected, with exhibits relating to a wide area of the country. It had a number of interactive exhibits, most of which were working; learning to become a sheep farmer was interesting. Many of the rooms had displays with many artefacts and posters, accompanied by cards identifying individual items. I rushed through a room with tractors because of an unpleasant high pitched sound which the curator rectified when I reported it. Meanwhile I went to the cafe area where I found the coffee disappointing: weak and stale, although from a new packet. Not my taste and not coffee shop quality. I returned to the tractors and the corridor with detailed explanations of the many types of waggons on display. There was so much to see that I will definitely return. The Museum maintains a website for a virtual visit to more materials. The 21 bus from the station stops a few steps from a narrow passageway alongside Abbey School, leading...