Bethlem Museum of the Mind

17/08/2026

Ever wondered what it takes to uncover the stories hidden inside historic artworks? 🔎

For our featured blog post this month, PhD placement student Rachel Ditchfield writes about her experience researching and curating the museum’s current exhibition. Manasa Chitra (which translates as ‘Mind Drawings’), required a little detective work - from identifying a forgotten Konkani inscription to finding connections between artworks made decades apart. Rachel uncovered stories of memory, migration and life in post-Independence India.

🔗 bit.ly/4fUtNaF

Image: The Desert Journey, Arindom Dey, 2022

16/08/2026

This is an interesting listen on BBC Radio 4 about the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition 'Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam'. Bethlem Museum of the Mind has lent a number of works to this incredible exhibition, which brings together more than 100 works to tell the story of Dadd's life and art.

Richard Dadd at the Royal Academy and AI companies shredding rare books.

15/08/2026

Is Bethlem Museum of the Mind worth visiting? Yes! Here's some reasons why:
🌳 Located in the beautiful the grounds of the historic Bethlem Royal Hospital
🧠 A thought-provoking, free look at the history of mental health care
🏛️ Stunning Art Deco architecture
🖼️ A permanent collection full of art and history spanning 780 years
🎨 Current exhibition is Manasa Chitra: the Art of Mental Health from Bengaluru to Bethlem
🎫 Free!

Images:
Bethlem Museum of the Mind
The Scenery with Vibrance, Riza Reji, 2022

14/08/2026

Meet Raving and Melancholy Madness - two imposing sculptures created by Caius Gabriel Cibber in 1676.
For nearly 150 years, they stood above the gates of Bethlem Hospital at Moorfields. When the Hospital moved to St George’s Fields, the figures moved too, this time into its entrance hall.
After a long loan to a London museum, they returned to Bethlem in Beckenham in 1970, squeezing into the Museum’s original portakabin before travelling to exhibitions across Europe.
Finally, on a rainy day in November 2014, the sculptures were carefully moved into the new Museum. It took the team an entire day to settle them safely in the foyer - where, after nearly 350 years of adventures, they can enjoy a well-earned rest.

13/08/2026

Beat the heat with a visit to Bethlem Museum of the Mind ❄️
If our history and art doesn't distract you from the soaring temperatures the air conditioning will!

We are listed on the Cool Off Culture map, which helps you find cultural venues offering a free space to rest and recharge during a heatwave. at Bethlem you will find not only 700 years of history, but a place to rest away from the heat in a welcoming space. You can even refill your water 🥤

tinyurl.com/mry2fxxm

11/08/2026

A discovery by one of Bethlem’s volunteers has revealed new insights into the artworks in Manasa Chitra, our current temporary exhibition.

Volunteer Richard Martin has decoded many of the inscriptions in D'Souza's works, which were created at Bangalore Mental Hospital in the 1950s. Find out more in our feature blog post 🔗 bit.ly/4wMVQ1J

Image: Life is a Mystery by D'Souza

10/08/2026

For decades, Bethlem Museum of the Mind has been the guardian, not only of the records of the Hospital’s history and practice, but of the story and legacy of the Victorian artist, Richard Dadd, who was a long-stay resident of the first dedicated forensic psychiatric unit in the UK.
In 1974, the founder of the Museum, Patricia Allderidge, curated a major retrospective of Dadd’s work at the Tate. Now the Museum has lent a dozen of the Richard Dadd artworks in its collection to support a new exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, which runs from 25 July through to 25 October 2026.
To coincide with the exhibition, Dadd’s 170 year old medical notes has been placed on display at Bethlem Museum of the Mind, along with the information necessary to understand their content and respect the context of their creation.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

09/08/2026

Two new events added!
🚶‍➡️ Saturday 15 August 11am: Bethlem History Walk in partnership with
🎫 £3 (which goes to the volunteer tour guide), free for concessions.
🔗 bit.ly/4zkS5SW (booking essential)

🖼️ Saturday 26 September 2pm: Perspective tour of Manasa Chitra with one of the show's curators Rebecca Raybone.
🎫 FREE
🔗 bit.ly/4wQSOJQ

See links for all the details!

07/08/2026

With the Edinburgh Fringe Festival starting today we are reminded of a key figure from Bethlem’s history who had no fear of giving a bad review 🎭
Dr Theo Hyslop was Bethlem Superintendent in the early 1900s, he often scribbled his damning remarks on the programmes of performances given at the Hospital.
Today his original desk houses an interactive database of words used to label and stigmatise mental health, which is constantly updating as we invite visitors to contribute to it.