New Bethlehem Hospital |
| Hob Uid: 404565 | |
Location :
Greater London Authority
City and County of the City of London
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TQ3282081530 |
| Summary : The New Bethlehem Hospital, or Bedlam as it was known, was a psychiatric hospital built in 1675 to the designs of Robert Hooke. It replaced an earlier building which had been located in Bishopsgate. The inmates of Bedlam were called 'patients' as of 1700 and in 1725-34 wards for the 'curable' and 'incurable' were opened. In the 18th century members of the public could go to Bedlam and pay a penny to stare at the people in their cells. Entry was apparently free on the first Tuesday of the month and it was so popular that 96 000 people visited in the year 1814 alone. In 1800 the building was declared unsafe, and a new Bedlam was built in Lambeth, the inmates being transferred in 1815. |
More information : 1.[TQ 32828153] SITE OF NEW BETHLEHEM HOSPITAL [AT]
The New Bethlehem Hospital, or Bedlam as it was known, was a psychiatric hospital built in 1675 to the designs of Robert Hooke. It replaced an earlier building which had been located in Bishopsgate. The inmates of Bedlam were called 'patients' as of 1700 and in 1725-34 wards for the 'curable' and 'incurable' were opened. In the 18th century members of the public could go to Bedlam and pay a penny to stare at the people in their cells. Entry was apparently free on the first Tuesday of the month and it was so popular that 96 000 people visited in the year 1814 alone. In 1800 the building was declared unsafe, and a new Bedlam was built in Lambeth, the inmates being transferred in 1815. (1-3) |