Borough
Architectural period
Architectural type
Facility

We will be launching the 2021 programme at 12pm on 11 August 2021

Bethlem Museum of the Mind

Bethlem Royal Hospital

Cheston and Elcock

place
Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham, BR3 3BX
info_outline
Photography is not permitted on site, Parking, Toilets

Travel Information

train
Nearest train: Eden Park, East Croydon
directions_bus
Bus routes: 356, 119, 194, 198, 358
Last surviving psychiatric hospital built in England according to the villa system. Walk takes in Hospital Chapel, Walled Garden used in occupational therapy, and former Admin Building, repurposed as Bethlem Museum and Bethlem Gallery.

Events

Monday 6th September
Tour of Bethlem Hospital Grounds
schedule Time: 11am to 12.30pm
group Capacity: 15
Tour begins and ends on Museum steps; Museum and Gallery will be open to visitors afterwards. Places must be pre-booked; do not attend without a ticket.
Tour of Bethlem Hospital Grounds
schedule Time: 12.30pm to 2pm
group Capacity: 15
Tour begins and ends on Museum steps; Museum and Gallery will be open to visitors afterwards. Places must be pre-booked; do not attend without a ticket.

Design

Original design
Cheston and Elcock, 1930
Type
Walk/tour, Open site, Museum, Gallery, Health
Period
Historical/contemporary

  • History

    Bethlem Royal Hospital moved to its current site in the south-eastern suburbs of London in 1930. An oak-panelled Boardroom , deliberately designed to evoke the look and feel of Boardrooms on the Hospital's previous sites, was placed at the heart of its Administration Building. In contrast, the Chapel was built to reflect the contemporary Dutch design. The design of the Hospital as a whole followed the continental 'villa' system, one of only two in England to do so.

  • Today

    Bethlem Royal Hospital continues to provides local and national mental health services as an integral part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. In 2015 the Administration Building was repurposed as Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Bethlem Gallery.

  • Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Bethlem Gallery

    Situated within the hospital grounds, in a stunning Art Deco building shared with the Bethlem Gallery, Bethlem Museum of the Mind was formally opened by artist Grayson Perry in March 2015. The museum cares for an internationally renowned collection of archives, art and historic objects, which together offer an unparalleled resource to support the history of mental healthcare and treatment. Bethlem Gallery supports artistic practice for wellbeing and showcases the talents of contemporary artists.

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