University of Reading Museums and Collections

An eclectic mix of fascinating history, beautiful photos and a variety of objects from our museums and collections. Ure Museum of Archaeology, the Museum of English Rural Life, the Cole Museum of Zoology, Special Collections, our Typography collection, an herbarium and much more. Reading, Berkshire, England.

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We never though this guy would get our twitter on the radar but there he goes.  Our curator Ollie Douglas has kindly given us all ‘The History of an Absolute Unit’ which you can see here and Adam has been taking over the world in 280 characters or less, which you can find here. 

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Happy International Women’s Day!

We’d like to draw attention to someone integral to the museums at the University; Dr Annie Ure. 

Annie was the first Curator of the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology and was an expert on Greek and Egyptian Antiquities, and especially interested in Boeotian pottery. Annie and her husband, Percy, set up the Ure Museum. /

In 1911, Annie Dunman Hunt started studying Classics at the University. She was one of the first Classics graduates, but technically she had a London degree (Reading didn't get its charter until 1926), and so, at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the charter, the University was able to honour Annie's lifetime of service and scholarship with an honorary doctorate. She died ten days later, after receiving a stream of messages of congratulations and appreciation from scholars all over the world. She had been Honorary (i.e. unpaid) Curator of the Museum for 54 years. [source]

Annie has over 30 published works as an author, with more published as a joint venture with her husband. A list of her published works is available on the Ure Museum Website. 

Thank you, Annie, for everything you did for the Museum and the University. 

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It’s time for another “What’s That?!” Wednesday!

Since we here in Reading were hit briefly by the Beast from the East (seriously? who chose that name?)  this week we’ve chosen something that fits in that theme. Can you guess what it is? Don’t worry if you can’t, because we’re about to tell you.

These are snow shoes!

We think they have Ash frames on them, but they have a webbing across them almost like a misshapen tennis racket, which gives them more grip on the snow. The leather straps running horizontally over them is to give them a bit more strength in their pressure points (or possibly to repair them).  These ones were worn by a gamekeeper in the late 1930′s in Hampshire.  The ties on the top are to tie them on to your feet... preferably over shoes, because they don’t give you any warmth in the snow at all!

You can find them at the Museum of English Rural Life or have a look here for all the information we have on them. 

If you’re still being snowed in by the Beast, or you’re center stage for the face off between the Beast and Storm Emma why not have a look at how the Mewes Knitters have been volunteering and have provided our life-size plastic sheep with a lovely warm cardigan, and have hand made decorations and comfy cushions for the Shepherd’s Hut in the MERL garden! 

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IT’S SNORLAX! 

Welcome to “What’s That?!” Wednesday! 

Have you ever seen a ball compressor? We have one down at the Museum of English Rural Life and thought we’d let everyone have a look!

This is a pretty nifty contraption, it was used in cheese-making. The top is a metal lever which the user presses down, causing a solid ball underneath to push into and make an indentation in the curd. The gauge in the top measures the indentation.

The one we have was used by the National Institute for Research in Dairying before it moved on to the Department of Food Science in the 1940′s.

Have a look here for more information on the ball compressor, and here if you want to see the cheese making objects we have. (Obviously you want to... go on... click it.)

We’ve got a volunteer blogger starting with our Tumblr this week and she’s decided that she’d like to point out some of the more... ‘unusual’ items that we have in the collections. (Don’t worry, boss. It won’t always include memes! You can trust me...)

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Do you know when you come across a fiver in an old pair of trousers and it makes your day?

Our Special Collections experienced something similar recently when they found one of the oldest printed pages in the history of English printing.

This unique example of 15th century printed text by English printer William Caxton was found in the John & Griselda Lewis collection, within the binding of another book. The two pages are from a medieval priest handbook dating back to late 1476 or early 1477, which was printed just a year after William Caxton set up his pioneering press in England. No other copies of the pages, printed either side of a single leaf of paper, are known to have survived.

You can come and have a look at it in Reading, but you only have until 16 June!

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Typography Tuesday

Ken Briggs

Posters and programmes for the National Theatre, London

Ken Briggs (1931–2013) became well known for the posters and programmes he created for the National Theatre, London, in the 1960s. His strongly coloured designs draw on elements of Swiss typography and the intelligent use of overprinting inks. The work became a key feature of the National Theatre’s visual identity.

These items will remain on display until the end of the month.

For any enquiries relating to the collections at Typography and Graphic Communication or if you would like to arrange a visit please contact Laura Weill ([email protected]), Collections Administration Assistant.

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Check out this awesome catch

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We have fallen in love with this picnic basket. It’s so classy. It’s so chrome.

Its official name is an ‘En Route’ tea-making basket, and it was made by Drew & Co of London around 1905. 

Originally, a basket like this was associated with railway travel (and even the horse drawn carriage) but by the Edwardian era it was increasingly about the relationship between the motor car and the countryside. Frankly, there was soon nothing more English than going for an afternoon jaunt into the country and having a nice cup of tea in a secluded scenic spot before returning to the clamour of the town. 

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Typography Tuesday

Hans Schmoller: 100 years

The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, 1968.

This April marked 100 years since the birth of Hans Schmoller. Schmoller is best known for succeeding Jan Tschichold as Typographer at Penguin Books in 1949, progressing to Head of Production in 1956 and Director from 1960. Much like his predecessor, Schmoller had a dogmatic approach to typography. His work on The Complete Pelican Shakespeare is fine example of his constant pursuit of perfection.

Schmoller was invited to speak at the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication in Spring term 1979. During these sessions he discussed the process of designing The Complete Pelican Shakespeare as well as answering student questions on technique, house style and future developments. As a result of his visit Schmoller was kind enough to donate the design archive of The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, including hand drawn and annotated specifications, layouts and paste-ups.

This archive is a perfect example of pre-digital typography as well as Schmoller’s meticulous attention to detail and typographic talents.

For any enquiries relating to the collections at Typography and Graphic Communication or if you would like to arrange a visit please contact Laura Weill ([email protected]), Collections Administration Assistant.

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We’re currently cataloguing original artworks made for Ladybird books, and at first we were confused about why this carriage had fallen over.

At first we thought they may be changing a wheel, but our wagon expert colleagues informed us this wasn’t the case. But when we pulled out the magnifying glass, we saw that one horse was still harnessed to the carriage and had fallen into the verge/ditch.

Poor horse.

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These poleheads were used in Friendly Society parades in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 

Friendly societies acted as safety nets for their communities in an age before national insurance. Workers would pay their dues and, if they fell sick, would be supported by their society. These poleheads will be on display in the new Museum of English Rural Life.

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Chained books have never been cooler because:

a) they were in Harry Potter

b) they were in the last episode of Game of Thrones season 6

The reality is that lots of books used to be chained to their shelves simply to stop readers nicking them. Books were valuable and expensive before the age of mass printing!

This particular volume is a  1616 edition of Seven Treaties by Richard Rogers, just spotted on its way back from a visit to the reading room.

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This is a Mignon Typewriter, an index style typewriter popular in the early 1900s. It consists of a typesleeve and an index card with pointer.

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This is just a little something we’re experimenting with at the Museum of English Rural Life. We have a lot of fat cow paintings and few ways of interpreting them, but we’re thinking this may be one of many ways forward.

(and before any cow experts say anything, yes we know this is a bull and wouldn’t have been slaughtered for meat. We’re working on finding a nice bullock!)

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it’s COW APPRECIATION DAY how could we FORGET.

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A beautiful lantern slide depicting the larva and adult Wood Wasp. 

This slide is part of a collection used by Professor F. J. Cole, the first Professor of Zoology at the University of Reading. The artist, Georgiana Elizabeth Ormerod (1825-1896), studied painting under William Hunt alongside her sister Eleanor Anne Ormerod (1828-1901), who was a renowned economic entomologist, a consultant to the Royal Agricultural Society and the first woman in Britain to receive an honorary degree. Georgiana illustrated her sister's work and sometimes accompanied her to meetings with The Etomological Society. 

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Happy World Chocolate Day!

Here’s…well, here’s something about that.

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A boat on binding.

This sailing ship is from Jasper's Conquest by E.J. Lysaght.