Ollie Douglas
@olliedouglas.bsky.social
Farm boy at @themerl.bsky.social (at Uni of Reading). Looks after old rural stuff in a big shed. On committee of British Agricultural History Society. Active in AIMA, RMN, and Folklore Society. Views own. “Iconic”.
what have we been cooking, you ask? well, how about a new, illustrated brand for our under 5s group, Friday Fledglings merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...
A new Friday Fledglings brand has hatched
An iconic under-5s group deserves iconic design. Discover the new look of Friday Fledglings and how your toddler can get involved.
merl.reading.ac.uk
If you can make it to Reading, next Tuesday lunchtime our curator @olliedouglas.bsky.social will be running a gallery tour where he’ll lead you through the potted history of The MERL. It’s free, and everyone is welcome to come along. merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/gal...
Gallery Tour: MERL 75
Join us on a whistle-stop gallery tour through 75 years of The MERL!
merl.reading.ac.uk
Fun fact: this year we turned 75! It's a fine age. We remain extremely young at heart. But why the heck did people in 1951 think it was a good idea to make The Museum of English Rural Life?
Struggling to find our contact details? Elon might still have our telephone number.
Ollie Douglas@olliedouglas.bsky.social · 2w agoCalling all tech bros and crypto billionaires. Worried that your ‘no strings attached’ £36million pound donations might have to be returned? Why not donate to the @themerl.bsky.social instead?
Calling all tech bros and crypto billionaires. Worried that your ‘no strings attached’ £36million pound donations might have to be returned? Why not donate to the @themerl.bsky.social instead?
Today about 100 people took part in a mass trespass in the Prime Minister’s constituency. There’s a right to roam over just 1% of Makerfield, & today the landowner proved our point for us: putting up fencing & calling the police. @andyburnham.bsky.social - please open the door to the countryside!
I resigned from ExxonMobil today. I spent the last three years doing fossil fuel extraction research at both BP and ExxonMobil. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing to maximize extraction while the window to act closes, and gambling with our lives. More below.
First Dolly Parton and now Yayoi Kusama and Tim Curry are gone too. Sad times.
2/ More info on the book and link to accompanying website below: bsky.app/profile/guys...
Guy Shrubsole@guyshrubsole.bsky.social · last yr.Very excited to share that I'm writing a new book, THE GHOSTS OF CHALK COUNTRY - about the loss of England's chalk downland: a tale of flowers, fascism & freedom. To be published by @wmcollinsbooks.bsky.social in April 2027: www.thebookseller.com/rights/willi... Website: ghostsofchalkcountry.org
Rest in Peace Dolly Parton. Here’s an old blog post from @themerl.bsky.social. Amazing talent and extraordinary generosity. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...
Working (the land) 9 to 5
We've combined Dolly's amazing catalogue of songs with our catalogue of objects from rural history. Join us on a journey from rural England to Dollywood.
merl.reading.ac.uk
So, it looks like agricultural heritage followed me on holiday.
This story has it all. And by ‘all’, I obviously mean heritage and free beer. Doesn’t get much better than that sweet combo. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Coin hidden in Bicester in 1971 earns finder free pint of beer
Former electrician David Judd, 92, hid coins in properties, offering finders "one pint best beer".
bbc.co.uk
So, we found a live bat in our galleries. 🦇 a thread🦇
We need to show rightwing newspapers that actions have consequences. Add your name: goodlawproject.org/s/abb8a1
Jason Arday: Demand a public inquiry now | Good Law Project
Commission an immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press given its contribution to Dr Arday’s tragic death.
goodlawproject.org
Human remains being taken to a museum, not being reclaimed from one. Interesting times!
Reuters@reuters.com · last mo.Spain removes remains of 11th century kings from monastery as wildfire rages reut.rs/4zAAN4r
Here we go…
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · last mo.Absolute Units returns! We've changed a lot in the last 20 years, and that's in large parts thanks to our director, Kate Arnold-Forster. Kate joins us to chat about her career, the significance of university museums, and how to move a museum down a hill. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... @wokinghamgreens.bsky.social @wokinghamlabour.bsky.social Say no to TVP data centre next to Thames meadows and nature reserve
As AI guzzles water and energy, we are already facing a choice: datacentres or homes? | John Harris
Whitehall wants to triple their number in the UK. Yet in Slough, I saw the impact they’re having on communities, says Guardian columnist John Harris
theguardian.com
Over the moon that Ghosts of the Farm is shortlisted @wainwrightprize.bsky.social (my 2nd time!) It's a lively, haunting fusion of nature writing, memoir & historical biog: of forgotten rural women’s lives, decades apart in the same fields, at the point where everything changed for nature. Reviews⬇️
A diverse range of topics on the latest Absolute Units podcast from @themerl.bsky.social. The heat isn’t getting to us. Or is it?!
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 2mo agoAbsolute Units returns! This week we bring our rural history heads to a bunch of related topics. Like: - Bad Bunny - Stardew Valley - Star Wars - Martin Ødegaard - John Maynard Keynes - The Bloomsbury Group - Holograms Listen wherever you get your podcasts! merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...
we're recording the next episode of our podcast this afternoon – a check-in of what we've been up to and what's coming up. we really enjoyed taking listener questions a few months back. so: do you have any questions about rural history or our museum? let us know! merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...
Absolute Units podcast - The Museum of English Rural Life
Come for the big sheep. Stay for the history of rural England and its people.
merl.reading.ac.uk
The ASRA research project has been eye-opening, and whisker-tingling. Hope this galvanises more action to protect, re-wiggle, rewild and restore the River Tone catchment (with wider and wilder riparian margins for starters). Looking forward to the project's next steps.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3mo ago‘Emotional and horrific’: volunteers ‘live’ as Somerset animals to study wildlife risks
Fun to be part of Neil MacGregor's series on legacies of the Festival of Britain. He visited @themerl.bsky.social to see collections linked to CPRE in the 1930s and to the 1951 Festival. It was broadcast yesterday morning on BBC R4. Listen again here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Artworks - Who Did We Think We Were? - 2. The 1938 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow - BBC Sounds
Neil MacGregor on past expressions of British identity and how they shape our identity now
bbc.co.uk
Latest episode. It’s a deep one. Enjoy!
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 2mo agoAbsolute Units returns! We're back with the @uniofreading.bsky.social's Tom Oliver and Marzia Briel, talking about how we can rethink and rebuild humanity's relationship with nature. Listen wherever you get your podcasts! merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...
yes the Odyssey is getting 5* reviews but does it have one of the UK's top 50 museum cafés and free parking? your move, Matt Damon
