Rural Museums Network

On Thursday 24th May the Network held the 2012 AGM at Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, Church Stretton.

Mike Wright demonstrates wheelwrighting at Acton Scott © Rural Museums Network

Following the business of the AGM we heard from Sally Ackroyd about her publication ‘The Power of the Plough’ and copies were distributed fresh off the press. We discussed digitising Distributed National Collection data and formally established a ‘DNC working group’ to help with this process. We also saw the working draft of the new RMN website that will be more interactive, having social media links. Continue reading →

Two years ago the Rural Museums Network successfully bid to the Museums Association Effective Collections programme to run a ploughs project.

English Ploughs, 1748 © Rural Museums Network

The second stage of the exercise has been to consider and review the surprising number of ways that museums interpret ploughs and ploughing. The Network has appointed Sally Ackroyd and Judith Caruthers to create a resource that will help museums to make the most of their ploughs, and their booklet ‘The Power of the Plough’ will be published shortly. Continue reading →

Tony Butler is interviewed for an article on recent developments at the Museum of East Anglian Life in the July/August 2011 edition of the Museums Journal.

The 2011 AGM was held on 10 May at Melton Carnegie Museum. The museum reopened late last year after major investment in new displays and facilities, and it proved to be a superb venue. Following the officers’ reports we were brought up to date on the two large RMN projects currently underway.

Melton Carnegie Museum © Rural Museums Network

Catherine Wilson reported on the ‘Digging Deep’ ploughs project following circulation of the questionnaire. Continue reading →