Home Page > Collections : Distributed National Collection

Distributed National Collections

The Rural Museums Network has begun the process of defining what constitutes the Distributed National Collection of agricultural material amongst its member museums.

Building up a national picture of how the story of farming is represented in museum collections will enhance public understanding of and access to that material. It will also help museums work together to develop and manage their collections in the most effective way.

Of course, not all significant agricultural material is held in museums. Much is in private hands. Developing ways of bringing privately-held material within the scope of a Distributed National Collection is a further aspect of this initiative.

To view documents produced as part of the Distributed National Collection project, click on the links below.

Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff

The Distributed National Collection : a scoping & development study of agricultural heritage collections

dnc_jan2004.pdf

Combine Harvester survey

Combine harvesters in UK museums were surveyed and rated. The method and results are given in the attached document.

Combinefinal report 28.07.092.doc

Tractors and Combines - icons of the twentieth century

Report of the Collections Working Groups

Tractor combine report Feb 20052.doc

The Distributed National Collection of combine harvesters

Distributed National Collection - combine harvesters2.rtf

The Distributed National Collection of tractors in Museums

Distributed National Collection - tractors3.rtf

Table of important tractors not represented in museums

Important tractors not represented in museums2.rtf

Sorting the Curds and Whey

Report on Dairying Collections in the UK, 2006

Final Dairying Report 12 05 06.doc

Distributed National Collection of Threshing Machines

In 2006, a survey was made of threshing machines in rural museums. Click on the link below to see full list.

Threshingmachines-Museum holdings.xls

Collections of Rural Crafts and Trades in Museums

In 2007, David Viner carried out a survey of collections of rural crafts and trades in museums, as part of a crafts project at the Museum of English Rural Life. The Survey Report can be downloaded here.

RuralCraftsandTradesCollectionsTodayReport.pdf

Collections of Rural Crafts and Trades in Museums (2)

A Directory of collections that forms an appendix to the Report can be downloaded here.

Directory.pdf

Collections of Rural Crafts and Trades in Museums (3)

A bibliography compiled as part of the survey work can be downloaded here.

Bibliography.pdf