Interested in art? Join @unirdg-artcol.bsky.social tonight for a free online talk! Print historian Martin Andrews will dive into the work of Allen W. Seaby (1867-1963), ornithological painter, printmaker, and former professor at the University of Reading. merl.reading.ac.uk/event/conver...

it was a total dream to have the chance to speak with @georgemonbiot.bsky.social! very excited to share this with you

in short: if you're looking for love, get your nuts out by the fire.

fun fact: Halloween in the north of England used to be known as nut-crack night. people would mark nuts with the names of lovers and place them around a fire. nuts that sizzled, spat or jumped indicated romantic incompatibility. nuts that burned together suggested peaceful, happy partnerships.

In case you missed it: last week, we released two new episodes of our podcast, Absolute Units! Learn about tracing queer rural history in our archives with @timjerrome.bsky.social. And/or explore the history of Halloween with @folklorepod.bsky.social. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

i don't throw around the word "hero" too often,

The horrors! Two episodes of Absolute Units in one week. And an absolute shocker this time too, all about Halloween and folklore (with done discussion if Scooby Doo). This time, @joevaughan.net and I are joined by the amazing Mark Norman, host of @folklorepod.bsky.social. Enjoy!

sound design is my passion!!!

Back again with the brilliant @timjerrome.bsky.social and the very finest of podcast co-presenters, @joevaughan.net. Latest episode of Absolute Units now out!

new pod! Tim is such a star, brilliant to have him back

Absolute Units is back! We continue our conversation with @timjerrome.bsky.social (University of Brighton; formerly, The MERL) about his research into queer rural life. Discover what Tim has found in our archives to date & the research challenges he's faced. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Here is a brilliant new episode of Absolute Units with @timjerrome.bsky.social. Co-presented and very professionally produced by the inimitable @joevaughan.net, as always. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Thank you to the eternally wonderful Joe and Ollie for guiding me through my first time on a podcast - if intense ramblings about finding queer snippets in rural archives is your thing, give it a listen! @themerl.bsky.social

we are live!

This bound volume of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and volume I of The Ghost Seer by Friedrich Schiller is exactly what we need at this time of year! These illustrations depict iconic moments from the stories, though Schiller's tale remains unfinished…

Our next free monthly gallery tour takes place tomorrow (14 October, 11.30 am)! Join our very own Dr Ollie Douglas with @uniofreading.bsky.social's Associate Professor Jeremy Burchardt to learn about the history of fences, and why we divide and enclose the countryside. No booking required!

🥳 Now open 🎉 Discover rarely-seen letters and artefacts from the personal archive of beloved author James Joyce in James Joyce: Enigmas & Puzzles. Explore Joyce's social network of friends and artists, his family life, his inspirations, and the adjustments he made to work despite ill-health.

Never-before-seen papers from beloved author James Joyce, part of @uorspeccoll.bsky.social's remarkable new Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection, will form the free exhibition, James Joyce: Enigmas and Puzzles. Opens 7 Oct at @themerl.bsky.social whatsonreading.com/venues/museu...

Latest episode folks. With thanks to @katrinanavickas.bsky.social and @joevaughan.net for general awesomeness!

New Absolute Units is live! Join us and @katrinanavickas.bsky.social as we explore resistance to enclosure in the modern era: from riots, to raves, to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Listen below, or search 'Absolute Units' wherever you get your podcasts! merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

This aircraft worker from WW2 was photographed for the Ministry of Information at Miles Factory in Woodley. The factory made 5000 new aircraft during the war and repaired damaged fighter planes. Thousands of women were employed in this industry in Reading. 1946.52.63 🖼️ Reading Museum 📷 #FridayFinds

some good content wot I saw in the last couple of weeks which is in my newsletter

This one’s a good one. I would say that, of course, but @katrinanavickas.bsky.social is brilliant and her new book is a must read! Thanks as always to the brilliant @joevaughan.net.

thrilled to combine my 2 greatest research interests - UK rural history and Goose

Topics include: Handforth Parish Council ("you have no authority here, Jackie Weaver!"), @househouse.bsky.social's Untitled Goose Game, geese more generally, John Clare, lantern slides, and much, much more.

New Absolute Units is live! Join special guest @katrinanavickas.bsky.social as we delve into the commons: the history of shared resources, the historical forces that encroached upon them, and the fight to get them back. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Facebook just shared a memory with me of this amazingly cool MERL Twitter crossover from 6 years ago, lol

All our Oct-Dec events are now live on our website! We've got James Joyce. We've got Jane Austen. We've got an 18+ LATE. And many more reasons why you should make the trip to Reading. merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/aut...

Thanks to everyone who came to yesterday's launch of our Jane Austen exhibit and trail! Visit until 19 December to explore links between Jane Austen and the English countryside: from a rare Austen letter, to craft workshops for families & adults. merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/jan...

👉 Mammoth Hog 👈

so this happened!

We also look after the personal archive of Beckett’s close friend, James Joyce. Never-before-seen papers from this remarkable collection will appear soon in our upcoming free exhibition, James Joyce: Enigmas and Puzzles. Opens 7 Oct. collections.reading.ac.uk/special-coll...

We hold the world's largest Samuel Beckett Collection, and frequently welcome researchers, actors and dramatists. In April, this included the cast of the upcoming Jamie Lloyd Co production of Waiting for Godot – including actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/t...

correct

Opening tomorrow: our latest display and exhibit, connecting the life and work of beloved author Jane Austen to rural England! We'll be opening the exhibit with a gallery tour, led by MERL's Isabel Hughes and @uniofreading.bsky.social's Professor Paddy Bullard: merl.reading.ac.uk/event/monthl...

I may be off work recovering from a nasty viral turn, but thankfully @joevaughan.net is making sure that I look busy in my absence!

we are so back (again!)

I'm having a very nice morning with intravenous tea and a chillhop playlist visualised by an animated cat drinking coffee in a pond

for what it's worth we posted this before watching the latest episode of Alien Earth. we couldn't have known it would literally feature a sheep

come join my team :)

I am now being prescribed medication for vertigo

New Absolute Units is here! This time, we speak with award-winning photographer and sheep farmer @amybateman.bsky.social about Forty Farms – her book and touring exhibition (currently at The MERL!) documenting forty farms across Cumbria and the Lake District. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Absolute Units ep9 drops tomorrow!

Pedro Pascal might be in everything right now but we can confirm that he is not currently in The Museum of English Rural Life

I just got messaged by a tech company sharing how museums can use AI to bring the past to life. But that is a terrible idea. I have seen The Mummy returns

considering scrapping my YouTube Music subscription and just spending £10 on getting the Best of Nick Drake on iTunes. i would never need more music again

I have been very stressed recently by work/personal stuff but found the responses to this thread very touching

In case you missed it: the newest episode of our podcast, Absolute Units, dropped last Thursday! In it, we spoke to artist @museumofmump.bsky.social about creating art inspired by contemporary folk culture: from paintings of massive cows, to angry dog poo posters.

What do you think farming will look like in 2125? We're working with @uniofreading.bsky.social researchers to collect your thoughts and ideas about future farming and curate a time capsule - which will be opened in 100 years' time! Find out more: www.reading.ac.uk/news/2025/Un...