Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives & Museum - Beckenham

Description:

Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham is the original ‘Bedlam', the stereotypical madhouse of Victorian times.  It was established in 1247 but moved to this site in 1930.

The museum at Bethlem Royal Hospital has been in existence since 1970 and it mainly displays all forms of artwork by artists who suffer or who have previously suffered from mental health problems.  There is also a pair of statues called ‘Raving and Melancholy Madness' which were taken from the 17^th century hospital building as well as other historical artefacts and documents from the hospitals history.  The museum is of a small size so displays are rotated and it is likely you will see different collections on subsequent visits.

The archives are available by appointment only and can only be viewed by one person at a time.  There are records which date back to the sixteenth century and the extensive collection contains records from Bridewell Hospital, Warlingham Park Hospital, Maudsley Hospital as well as archives from Bethlem hospital itself.