Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tracing the history of the longhouse in Scotland from the earliest examples through to survivors today, we were delighted to welcome Niall Logan to our October 2022 Rural Voices Seminar to explore how such structures were built, how they functioned, … Continue reading →

Gypsies are England’s oldest minority: marginalised but never invisible. That’s a challenge for museum displays, because although non-Gypsies have been representing the Romany for centuries, this was very different from the way that people in the community portray themselves. The … Continue reading →

For most of us, our work would not be possible without brilliant volunteers. They tend to plants and plots, muck out stables, provide hands-on opportunities with collections, welcome visitors, research and catalogue collections, and support and sustain almost every aspect … Continue reading →

In March 2022, we were delighted to welcome Norena Shopland back to the Rural Museums Network to build upon some of the discussions begun during our Telling the Stories of Rural LGBTQ+ Lives seminar. Norena explored in depth how rural … Continue reading →

We’re delighted to share news from our friends at AIMA, the International Association of Agricultural Museums. In 2021, AIMA President Claus Kropp co-ordinated an international, digital conference which saw participants from all over the world discussing the history, preservation, training … Continue reading →

Our speakers for the final Rural Voices panel session in 2021 were specialists in developing and undertaking new research to uncover and make accessible queer rural stories. Norena Shopland discussed how rural heritage organisations can utilise her research to showcase … Continue reading →

In the second of our Rural Voices Seminar sessions from 2021, we introduced participants to what decolonisation might mean for their organisations and working practices. Until recently, colonial legacies had not been central to rural history, heritage, or museology but … Continue reading →

In the autumn of 2021, the Rural Museums Network went online once more with a new Seminar Series – tailoring contemporary thinking and practice to those who work with rural life collections, providing practical suggestions and support. Monthly tea break … Continue reading →

Our final speaker, Louisa Adjoa Parker, closed our 2020 Conference by encouraging delegates to understand what they can do to support Black Lives Matter in a rural context. A writer and researcher from South West England, she focused on the … Continue reading →