About The Museum of English Rural Life's Collections

The Museum of English Rural Life's collections have been building since 1951 and are the most extensive of their type in England.

The Collections

The Museum's collections contain artefacts, books, archives, photographs, film and sound recordings. They are registerd with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and are Designated as being of national importance.

The collections are registered with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and are also Designated as being of national importance.

Consulting the Collections

All of our collections are available to view for free. Details of our current opening hours can be found on our Museum information page.

The Reading Room

Our Reading Room offers a quiet space for consulting our library, archive and photographic collections. Staff are always available for assistance.

Whilst it is not required, it is beneficial to make an appointment when planning to visit the Reading Room to use our library, archive and photographic collections.

Simply call us on 0118 378 8660, or e-mail us at merl@reading.ac.uk with details of the documents you intend to see.

For full details about the available facilities, please see the Reading Room Information page.

The Database

Our online database includes the catalogues of the main collections at the Museum (library, archives, photographs and objects) and the Bibliography of British and Irish Rural History.

You may also be interested in using INTERFACE: the Internet Farm and Countryside Explorer. INTERFACE offers visitors a chance to explore different topics related to food, farming and rural life at levels ranging from children through to academic researchers.

And finally...

Don't be afraid to ask us if you would like further information about our catalogues - we'd be pleased to help you. You may call us on 0118 378 8660, e-mail us at merl@reading.ac.uk, fax us on 0118 378 5632 or write to us at:
The Museum of English Rural Life, The University of Reading, Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX.

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