A priory for the Order of the Star of Bethlehem, built in 1247 on Bishopsgate at Liverpool Street, started admitting mental patients in 1357. This was probably the world's first institution to specialise in mental illness. It developed into a horrible place, known as Bedlam, dedicated to the commitment of the insane. In 1676 it moved to the London Wall site and it was this building that was adorned with the Cibber statues of Raving and Melancholy Madness. In 1815 Bedlam moved to the St George's Fields site (at that time owned by the City of London) in Southwark and, when in 1930 it moved out to a site near Beckenham, the Southwark buildings became the Imperial War Museum.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Bethleham Hospital 1&2
Commemorated ati
Bethlehem Hospital - first
Site of the first Bethlehem Hospital 1247 - 1676. The Corporation of the City...
Bethlehem Hospital - second
Site of the second Bethlehem Hospital, 1676 -1815. The Corporation of the Cit...
Gift from Lord Rothermere
This plaque was unveiled a second time, during the 75th anniversary celebrati...
Harmsworth - IWM
In 1926 Harold Harmsworth, the first Viscount Rothermere, bought the grounds ...
Other Subjects
Joseph Merrick / John Merrick
"The Elephant Man". Born Leicester. Began to develop severe abnormalities within a few years. By aged 17 his mother had died, his father and step-mother had rejected him, and failing to find a job,...
1 memorial
Sir John Milsom Rees
Laryngologist (ear, nose & throat surgeon) to royalty. Born Wales. Studied at St Barts, and in Edinburgh. Surgeon at the Prince of Wales General Hospital in Tottenham and had a private pract...
1 memorial
Middlesex Hospital
Opened first in 1745 on Windmill Street and moved to Mortimer Street, Fitzrovia in 1757 where new wings were added over time. Between June 1928 and May 1935 it was completely rebuilt on the same si...
3 memorials
Lord Brock
Surgeon. Born Russell Claude Brock at 840 Old Kent Road, London. While working in America he developed an interest in thoracic surgery. He pioneered several new techniques, including open-heart sur...
1 memorial
Friends of the Royal London Hospital
Registered charity also known as 'Friends of the London Hospital (Whitechapel)' and 'League of Friends'. We're guessing that this is the current form of the 1908 "friends of the hospital" that erec...
1 memorial