New Landscapes | New Technologies

New Landscapes, New Technologies is a partnership project between Berkshire Record Office and the Museum of English Rural Life supported by the New Opportunities Fund.

From this portal you can access two websites with digital images from our collections relating to the history of the British countryside and farming between 1738 and 1914.

We have digitised large maps, handwritten parchments, printed catalogues and engravings, and photographs. The site contains over 50,000 images which illustrate the British agricultural revolution.

You can view:
• All the Parliamentary enclosure maps and land awards for the historic county of Berkshire, England
• Illustrated trade catalogues of Victorian agricultural engineers and manufacturers
• Contemporary photographs of agricultural machinery

Please select one of the project links to explore further.

This link takes you to our gallery of historic manuscript maps and land awards from 1738 to 1883 which show the enclosures of common fields throughout the old and new county of Berkshire.

• Find out more about the process and the history of enclosure
• Search the land awards for rights of way or names of landowners
• View images of the 190 enclosure maps and 158 awards covering Berkshire

View New Landscapes >>

View the BRO website >>

This project shows the new technologies of farming. The firms that made the implements and machines for farming produced illustrated catalogues to promote their products both at home and overseas. Many of these from the collections of the Museum of English Rural Life have been digitised along with some drawings and contemporary photographs. In all some 50,000 items have been digitised through this project.

View New Technologies >>

View the MERL website >>

SPONSORED BY
Thanks to our sponsors for their support in funding these web sites.

NOF