The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL)

huge congrats, Catherine! <3

Go on, read our blog post! I’ve really loved working on this project and enjoyed the stories that emerged from the work of my fellow volunteers very much!

Especially love this for the discussion of Friendly Society banners (combining two of my arcane interests, #vexillology and #fraternalism - or sororialism?)

<3 <3

Annual Historyposting Award Categories:

-Best history thread
-Best use of historical images
-Best history hashtag/feed
-Best history journal account
-Best heritage account (other than the MERL it’s just not fair otherwise)
-Best history conference account
-Best history puns
-Worst history puns 😏
🗃️

Many thanks to our volunteer researchers: Julie Rose, Julie Fletcher, Catherine Ewart, and Mary Chambers!

International Women's Day 2026: Hidden histories Discover the stories of three women curators, collectors, and designers at The Museum of English Rural Life in the 20th century.

Women curators, designers, and collectors have played a huge part throughout our history at The Museum of English Rural Life.

For #InternationalWomensDay 2026, read about the stories of three women from our earlier years in our new blogpost.

merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

huge thanks Nicola!

Saving for later … Part 1 was brilliant. All the good good spirited things we can do to tell different stories of the rural (the rural that’s there for all) create magic, move, engage & change things. Bravo @olliedouglas.bsky.social @joevaughan.net @lisaschneidau.bsky.social Ruth Webb & Crockern!

@olliedouglas.bsky.social?

<3

we accept all hot drinks via Bluetooth, unless it's a hot chocolate with trimmings

An uplifting story for a wet Friday evening in dark times
@olliedouglas.bsky.social

<3 <3 we would love that!

perpetually!

going to print this out and glue it above the museum entrance

bsky.app/profile/ines...

preach

bsky.app/profile/neor...

A Bluesky screenshot showing our post about AI sentience being reposted by a Bluesky user named 'clippy'. The user has the same profile picture as the 2000s Microsoft Word pencil clip assistant of the same name.

of course clippy reposted this

@clippy-is-alive.bsky.social

we also experience anxiety

English rural life finds a way

this is not news. we have been a fully sentient posting museum since at least 2016

more in the works. watch/listen to this space!

Radical Rural Discover the artists, activists and movements championing rural England's people and places today.

We've now made six podcasts featuring artists, writers, and makers who feature in our current Radical Rural galleries trail.

Hear from @maninthewoods.co.uk, @katrinanavickas.bsky.social, @lisaschneidau.bsky.social, and Ruth Webb on our website!

merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/rad...

Absolute Units podcast - The Museum of English Rural Life Come for the big sheep. Stay for the history of rural England and its people.

Absolute Units returns! We’re here with the most special of guests, Old Crockern, the giant who watches over Dartmoor. Plus @lisaschneidau.bsky.social and Ruth Webb.

Listen as we delve into the fight for wild camping on Dartmoor, right up to the present day.

merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

With @olliedouglas.bsky.social of @themerl.bsky.social and my esteemed colleague Julie-Marie Strange @durhamhistory.bsky.social - in the recently restored Redhills, historic home of the Durham Miners’ Association and the Pitmen’s Parliament. 🗃️📜🐄

Part 2 is here!

bsky.app/profile/them...

loved working on these episodes. huge thanks to @lisaschneidau.bsky.social, @olliedouglas.bsky.social, Ruth, and Crockern!

Radical Rural Discover the artists, activists and movements championing rural England's people and places today.

Thank you to Ruth and Lisa for an extremely special conversation. If you can make it to Reading, come and see Old Crockern plus many more stories and displays in Radical Rural. It’s free and we’d love to see you here.

merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/rad...

We hope you’re loving the podcast as much as we love working on it. If you are, please let us know via reviews or letters, and tell your friends. Tell everyone!