It may sound premature, but I am putting together an itinerary for a trip to England planned for this time next year. Many of my ancestors were farmers or ag labourers. Through the years of research and personal need to understand their lives, I have come across recommendations to visit The Museum of English Rural Life. One week we will be based near Chesham, Bucks and so will require a little bit of extra effort to get to Reading for a day. Question: can anyone definitely ‘yea or nay’ this museum as a valuable experience? Do any other sites in Bucks or NW Kent come to mind in terms of agricultural education, research or experience? Thank you. ---Yeates
I can't answer specifically as I haven't visited the Museum you are asking about -- but I have been to a Rural Life Museum in Wales (on the Gower peninsula) which was quite lovely and very interesting
If you're going to be in NW Kent, you might like to try the museum called "Kent Life", near Maidstone, about a 30 minute drive from NW Kent. Their web site make it look pretty awful but I'm told it's actually quite good. Not as good as the Museum of English Rural Life (although I haven't been there for many years). For lunch try the Malta Inn which is almost next door. It's only a chain pub but the location is quite nice beside the river.
Excellent. Thank you, Peter. These are exactly the sort of suggestions I need. Yes, my family centered around the environs of Bromley (e.g. my 4x gr gr, Thomas Westbrook farmed Great South Street Farm in the mid-19th; many, many other ag labourers of various surnames esp in Cudham & Biggin Hill area.) But I will be visiting my cousin in Tenterden and have reason to be, possibly, in Headcorn. So, Maidstone would fit in.---Yeates
Hi Yeates My wife worked at Reading University until her recent retirement. I'm sure that you know that MERL is part of the university. She thoroughly recommends MERL as a place to visit. I should add that she has (and had) no involvement in MERL so her recommendation is completely objective. cheers Tony
Tony, thank you for answering. Strange that MERL has existed on my short-list of places-to-see whenever thinking of a possible trip to England. My husband said “Are you SURE?” when we realized a separate day-trip to Reading was geographically out-of-bounds from our base. Tourist web sites have made the logistics for public transportation from Chesham daunting and Reading, itself, intimidating (emphasizing which neighborhoods to avoid being knifed in). Daunting and intimidating to me, not my husband. All my husband needed was my assurance I was ‘sure’ and then it will be done. Yes, I had known MERL was part of Reading University, which had lent credibility to the museum in my mind. It has a most interesting online catalogue system, even though there won’t be time to do archival research on our visit. Most items have a photo and extended description as well as noting its availability for viewing. Randomly selecting a topic, I came across a photo and explanation for a group of hand-forged gate latches and hinges. The letter from the donor was included saying (lamenting?) that no longer are wooden gates being used. In their place are metal ones. I find such objects things of beauty; art. I rechecked the web site this morning. It seems, if we do not need the entire day in the rural museum, the university also has a zoology museum which would also be interesting. In other words, yes, I am SURE. Thanks, again.---Yeates
Hi Yeates If you are going to be based in Chesham then you might like to visit the Chiltern Open air Museum in nearby Chalfont St Giles. As its names implies, it is a very large open air site with a great many reclaimed and rebuilt historic buildings including farm buildings, implements and even real farm animals. www. coam.org.uk
Eve: Thank you. I've investigated the COAM site and bookmarked it. I wanted to go to Chalfont St. Giles anyway as I have found a few clues that one of my Popes or Mayos may have lived there.---Yeates
Dear Yeates (and others), As a curator at MERL I would not presume to push you into coming to visit but you are, of course, very welcome to come and make use of our resources. As well as a collection of some 30,000 artefacts (mainly covering 1850-1950 but with a significant number that both pre- and post-date that period), as well as thousands of metres of archival holdings, as well as a large reference library and a million plus photographic items, we are the premier site for research into England's rural past. I took the liberty if running a few searches and we have a handful of photographs dating to the 1940s of farming in the specific locales you mention. We do not appear to have anything specifically associated with the farm you named but would likely have many artefacts and resources that would afford greater context and give a sense of what life might have been like for your ancestors. I suggest that you contact merl@reading.ac.uk and ask the Reading Room and archive staff to do more detailed searches on areas of interest. Feel free to ask for me. Please also note the opening hours and take a look at the website for more details. We are closed on Mondays, except to research visitors. Best wishes, Ollie Douglas
How nice of you, Ollie. It makes those of us searching from "afar" feel good to know there are some folks who will go the extra mile for us.
Ollie--I have replied in a private message to you, but I reiterate Sue's feeling of appreciation for your interest and your reply.---Yeates
What a useful thread! I will certainly be looking at this (if we can get there) when I return to the 'home' country IN TEN WEEKS!!! Jane
Jane: Yes, aren't people kind and generous with their suggestions and replies. Boy, 10 weeks is so much closer than having to say 'next year'. Still this summer, then. Wonderful.---Yeates
Dear all, Just a quick note to say that I joined the forum to be able to post the message above and to indicate that we are a free and publicly accessible resource. Any of you who happen to have agricultural or rural ancestors who were based in the UK and are keen to find out more would be most welcome to make use of the Museum's collections for this purpose. Those who don;t should come to the UK anyway and make sure to pay us a visit! This has been an interesting thread to participate in. The Museum is increasingly keen to reconnect with the people who made, used, and collected the artefacts that it holds, as well as with the stakeholder groups and source communities represented through its extensive archival holdings. Genealogists form a significant body within the audiences with whom we are pleased to be working and we hope in the future to be able to do more to cater to the specific needs of self-led researchers and individuals with this sort of connection to the collections. Best wishes and hoping to see you all at MERL soon! Ollie
I have had one visit to MERL's wonderful archive, to look at some of the papers relating to the Duke of Wellington's estates. I found the staff very helpful. I only had time for a very quick look around the museum but can recommend both museum and archive. Another wonderful museum (but too far away for Yeates, I fear), is the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester, West Sussex. They have rescued old buildings that were due for demolition and rebuilt them there. I think one of my favourites has to be Bayleaf farmhouse, which used to stand in Chiddingstone in Kent. Parts of it date back to the early 15th century. http://www. wealddown.co.uk/ For more about Bayleaf, see this page: http://www. openairclassroom.org.uk/history/history-bayleaf.htm
Dear Huncamunca: On the contrary, from our NW Kent base, we will be in West Sussex to visit my cousin. It seems there is only about 30 miles between his house and the Open Air Museum. I've reviewed (and bookmarked) both sites you provided. They are enticing. How I wish my trip were only 10 weeks away like Jane's (above) instead of next year....Yeates
Yeates ... I am just SO excited. I can't wait to return and I have both these interesting places on my list. Each of us (me and two friends) have a huge list of places to see. We will be driving around for about 4 weeks and then have nearly a fortnight in London. (I get to see my daughter too!) Jane
Hi Ollie This is a new forum and it has a very international membership already, albeit mainly with at least some ancestry in the UK. I'm sure that you know that if you scratch pretty much any ancestral file you'll find rural ancestors hiding just below the surface. My agricultural labourers appear 4 generations ago (not including mine) - starting around 1853. They lived in rural hovels built of stone and thatch that are worth a small fortune today. The rural life in those times and before would be of great interest to most of my fellow hobbyists. Actually there are some who would argue that I'm still a bit of peasant, but I keep chewing the straw, adjust the rope round my waist and ignore them. cheers Tony