The Museum of English Rural Life is one of the most important agricultural resources in the UK. Part of the University of Reading, it is a wonderful asset. Crucially, it gives people the chance to learn about our agricultural past and present, including significant developments along the way. These can provide an insight into what we could expect in the future. The best thing is The MERL has a surprisingly diverse collection, such as farm toys, clothing, community objects, records, promotional materials, and more.
The Peter Wade-Martins Collection
One of the most interesting and engaging collections at The MERL tells the incredible story of agricultural mechanisation in England. It’s a great way to learn about the development of tractors and machinery, as well as how it has helped shape modern farming.
The best thing about The Peter Wade-Martins Collection is it includes both a physical and online collection. In total there are over 2,500 items. The physical exhibition includes over 155 items, including wonderful scale toys.
An amazing thing to keep in mind is an exhibition like this would not be possible with full-size tractors and machinery. For one, there wouldn’t be enough space; the room for a full exhibition would likely only be enough for one or two machines. Plus, it’s more engaging with farm toys and models because people can interact with them and see how they move.
Donation
The exhibition is only possible thanks to the generous donation of Peter Wade-Martins. He had been collecting for over 20 years, remarking he did it to celebrate his childhood, including reliving memories of carpet farming. However, the chance to donate it to serve as a teaching and research collection was “the best possible outcome”.
There are some rare, outstanding items in the collection. The oldest toy tractor is from the 1920s. Other items chart the history of mechanisation, with toys from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, as well as more recent items. Browsing through them you can see how far we came in the decades, from horse and ploughs to massive tractors, combine harvesters, and more.
Speak to us about farm toys
Many children learn about farming by playing with toys when they are young. It can lead to a life-long passion like Peter Wade-Martins. It’s also really good for helping children to develop essential life skills. Plus, as the MERL exhibition shows, toys can go on to become valuable resources in the future.
If you’re thinking of getting some wonderful farm toys for your children, we have some of the best vehicles in the world. Made by renowned brand Bruder, they are accurate scale models of real agricultural equipment. As a result, they are the perfect way to showcase what the machinery can do and how it helps to keep farms running.
If you want to learn more about any of the products we have to offer, please get in touch.