The University of Reading’s Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) has undertaken a year long project to preserve its unique collection of 130,000 glass plate negatives created by the Farmer and Stockbreeder and the Farmers Weekly magazines. The glass negatives contain all aspects of farming life and show just how much farming has changed during the last century.

The project began in April 2003 and is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Higher Education Active Community Fund (HEACF). Over 40 volunteers have worked on the project to repackage the glass plate negatives in archival grade four flap enclosures and boxes. The volunteers have included overseas students, members of University staff, retired and unemployed people.

The volunteers were trained by the project conservator, Brenda Lee to handle and package the plates correctly and informed of the conservation issues surrounding the project. The final element of the project is to undertake a conservation survey and compile a conservation action plan which will indicate the conservation requirements in the future.

As the volunteers packaged the glass plate negatives they recorded photographs which particularly interested them. They have discovered some unusual images: a farm horse fitted with a gas mask in the 1940’s and a camel carrying spraying equipment and many images of breeds of farm animals and farm machinery. This exhibition comprises the images selected by the volunteers. It is thanks to the volunteers dedication that we are on target to complete this project in March 2004.