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Rural Museums
Rural Museums Network
Aims/purpose:
To promote public education and understanding of the rural heritage of Great Britain and Ireland including life in today's countryside and its traditions by the revitalisation and regeneration of rural life museums and other collections and displays of historic and contemporary material.
Membership/partners:
Currently 53 members, comprising the major public museums and collections in the sector (see website for full list) including:
- The Museum of English Rural Life
- Science Museum
- Museum of Scottish Country Life
- Museum of Welsh Life
- Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
- Beamish Open Air Museum
- Yorkshire Museum of Farming
- Melton Carnegie Museum
- Acton Scott Historic Farm
- Weald & Downland Open Air Museum
- Norfolk Rural Life Museum
- Museum of Lincolnshire Life
- Somerset Rural Life Museum
Full members – registered / accredited museums who have one vote at general meetings of the network.
Associate members – others supporting the network who do not have voting rights.
Working structure:
The Rural Museums Network is a charitable trust which is managed by a committee elected at the Network's AGM.
Current/recent work:
- A recent project aim was to develop, implement and evaluate a programme that relates agricultural collections in rural museums to the needs and expectations of contemporary audiences. This involved an audit and analysis of current audiences and a creative forum – consultative process to develop new ideas and approaches for contemporary audiences.
- A survey of dairying collections was carried out which resulted in a report which comes up with some conclusions on how they can be more relevant. A scoping report for a project on sugar has also been carried out.
- An interactive potato to chip project also took place which involved schools, families and holiday visitors in growing potatoes and related events.
Contact: Roy Brigden
Museum of English Rural Life
The University of Reading
Redlands Road
Reading
RG1 5EX
Tel: 0118 931 8663
Fax: 0118 975 1264
