Winter Late (18+)

The Museum of English Rural Life opens its doors after dark for Winter Late, an adults-only evening on Wednesday 18 November, from 18:00 to 21:00. It's a late-night version of the museum, so you'll have the galleries to yourself without the usual daytime crowds.

The evening is built around a few specific things. There's a resident cheese expert bringing in specialist and local cheeses for tasting, and hot drinks and mulled wine to keep the night warm. The gift shop also has 10% off almost everything, and it's for one night only, so if you've had your eye on something there, this is the time to pick it up.

On the curatorial side, you can meet the curators of the current displays, Imprint and A Life of Poetry: The Peter Robinson Archive, and talk through what's on the walls. It's a good chance to ask questions about the collections while the people who put them together are actually there.

To give you a sense of the place, the Museum of English Rural Life tells the story of rural England and its people through its galleries, library, cafe, shop and garden. It's usually a family-friendly spot, with the 'Rat Trail' where you hunt for twelve rats across the galleries, the under-5s group 'Friday Fledglings', and the 'Farming the Future' display built around a time capsule buried in the garden. Winter Late flips that on its head: the museum stays open after dark for adults only, with tours, crafts and drinks. Entry is £5 for general admission, and £3 for University of Reading staff and students. It runs from 18:00 to 21:00 at 6 Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX.