We're a free museum exploring English rural life - past, present and future! Explore the history of the English countryside and it's people as well as contemporary issues relating to food and the environment. Enjoy a picnic in the calm oasis of our garden, have adventures with your kids with our trails and activities including a shepherd's hut, play tractor and games. Treat yourself in the gift shop and relax with a cup of tea and bit of cake in our cafe.
Really lovely museum. Entry is free (donation requested by signs only, no one put any pressure on us to donate). Interesting displays about traditional English rural life. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Beautiful garden and a lovely cafe. Well worth a visit!
Small museum which only takes a couple hours to explore. Very family friendly with a rat search and some games along the way. The outdoor area was very nice with a chicken and a tractor setup that the kids could also enjoy. Nice place for a picnic if you want to stay for lunch. Recommend if your visiting reading with kids.
Decent free museum located in university of reading, it details "countryside" life from when horses were primarily used to the introduction of the combustion engine. It doesn't just talk about farming, it also covers life in the countryside, changing lifestyles, etc. It's a really dedicated museum as they have far more stuff than space to display. It could do with more activities that are kid friendly, but overall it was pretty interesting. There is a row of parking spaces directly adjoining the building, there are also spaces on the opposite side which you'll need a permit from the university. I walked from the Oracle, it took about 17 mins so if you're in the town centre it's not that far. Recommended.
A great museum perfect for all ages! Lots of interactive games etc for kids without taking away from the factual aspect of the museum. Cafe is nice too, and affordable. We spent about an hour wandering around the surprisingly big museum however you could 100% spend more here, especially if it's something youre into. Free entry too so that's a plus
Great place to visit and learn about the local history. There's plenty to see and settings change quite often so there's always something new to see. The rat game for kids is distracting, and volunteers are actively pushing for the children to "find the hidden rats" into the museum. This prevents the children to discover, look around, question, and have dialogue with their parent.
Lovely collection of rural life artifacts.. great garden place for kids.
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Toilets
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Restaurant
Family friendly
LGBTQ+ friendly
Good for kids
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Really lovely museum. Entry is free (donation requested by signs only, no one put any pressure on us to donate). Interesting displays about traditional English rural life. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Beautiful garden and a lovely cafe. Well worth a visit!
Small museum which only takes a couple hours to explore. Very family friendly with a rat search and some games along the way. The outdoor area was very nice with a chicken and a tractor setup that the kids could also enjoy. Nice place for a picnic if you want to stay for lunch. Recommend if your visiting reading with kids.
Decent free museum located in university of reading, it details "countryside" life from when horses were primarily used to the introduction of the combustion engine. It doesn't just talk about farming, it also covers life in the countryside, changing lifestyles, etc. It's a really dedicated museum as they have far more stuff than space to display. It could do with more activities that are kid friendly, but overall it was pretty interesting. There is a row of parking spaces directly adjoining the building, there are also spaces on the opposite side which you'll need a permit from the university. I walked from the Oracle, it took about 17 mins so if you're in the town centre it's not that far. Recommended.
A great museum perfect for all ages! Lots of interactive games etc for kids without taking away from the factual aspect of the museum. Cafe is nice too, and affordable. We spent about an hour wandering around the surprisingly big museum however you could 100% spend more here, especially if it's something youre into. Free entry too so that's a plus
Great place to visit and learn about the local history. There's plenty to see and settings change quite often so there's always something new to see. The rat game for kids is distracting, and volunteers are actively pushing for the children to "find the hidden rats" into the museum. This prevents the children to discover, look around, question, and have dialogue with their parent.
Lovely collection of rural life artifacts.. great garden place for kids.
