Saturday 8th February 2025 • Promotional Content


Travel, Days Out & Attractions T e Modern Family 39


Discover England’s rural past A


lived,


t T e Museum of English Rural Life, a free museum in Reading, you can discover how people thrived and survived in


rural England. T rough 12 unique galleries, explore the history of food, farming, technology and culture. Find a fascinating collection of artefacts, from farm tools and vehicles,


to


clothing, medicine, art and photography. T ere’s plenty for families


Plan your free visit to The


Museum of English Rural Life via its


website. No need to book. Open Tuesday to Sunday


to make history fun and engaging for younger visitors. Follow themed


gallery trails, try hands-on games and explore the museum’s giant garden. Kids can enjoy a woodland walk, let off steam on a climb-on tractor and meet the resident chickens. Bring a picnic or treat yourself to lunch, cakes and hot and cold drinks in the museum cafe. Key highlights for visitors include the animated changing seasons in Shaping the Land, the impressive collec- tion of wagons in the Wagon Walk, and farm toys, both on display


Did you know that before 1851, much of the English population lived in the countryside rather than in towns or cities? That’s 10 years before Dickens’s Great Expectations and 12 years before the fi rst London Underground train


and ready to play with in the Model Farming gallery. T anks


to free parking,


the


museum is easy to visit by car. It’s also accessible by National Rail or the Elizabeth Line and is just a 20-minute walk from Reading Station. Look out for Reading’s breathtaking medieval Abbey Ruins along the way.


merl.reading.ac.uk T: 0118 378 8660


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