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
Dr. A. Gordon Signy
Pathologist. He was involved in founding haematology (the study of blood) and was a pioneer in the investigation and treatment of blood diseases. In the 1940s he established the Journal of Clinical...
Guy's John Fry Group
This is possibly the same group of Guy's alumni who gather each October for a lunch to celebrate the life and work of Doctor John Fry.
Broderick Dewhurst
Clinical nurse manager. Andrew Behan has kindly carried out some research on this man: Broderick Arthur Dewhurst was born on 21 March 1955 in Blackburn, Lancashire, the son of Albert Dewhurst and ...