Museum of English Rural Life

The entire collection of this museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.

The Museum of English Rural Life is dedicated to the spirit of the English countryside and its people. It was founded by the University of Reading in 1951 at a time when the motorised revolution was changing the face of farming and sweeping away implements and techniques that had evolved over many generations.

Today, the museum is a national centre for the history of food, farming and the countryside, and continues with the task of recording and interpreting rural change. It is both a public resource and an academic research centre, preserving Designated collections of national and international significance. These comprise, in addition to the object collections, a library of over 50,000 books, archives of business and organisational records, and extensive photographic collections.

The collections cover the broad range of material relating to farming, rural crafts and industries, and country life. The bulk of the items date from the period 1850 to 1950. Pre 1850 farm tools and equipment are rare in England. Post 1950, the sheer range and size of farm machinery are inhibitors given the level of exhibition and storage space that we have available. This is why so much emphasis has been placed on reflecting this period through the two dimensional collections - especially the photographs and technical literature.

Collection details

Trade and Commerce, Toys and Hobbies, Social History, Science and Technology, Land Transport, Fine Art, Costume and Textiles, Archives, Agriculture

Key artists and exhibits

• agricultural hand tools
• farm wagons: there are over thirty in the collection
• horse drawn ploughs
• dairying equipment
• livestock accessories eg horseshoes; veterinary equipment
• land drainage material
• country crafts and rural industries; the thatching collection, for example is particularly extensive as is that covering the woodland trades
• woodworking and carpentry
• country smocks
• basketry; corn dollies
• friendly society brasses
• beekeeping equipment
• animal traps
• sewing machines
• paintings and prints, especially of early nineteenth century livestock
• Designated Collection