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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · 25d

359 years ago today, on 14 September 1666, the first meeting of the Court of Governors was held at Bethlem. An excerpt (with only two commas in the entire piece!) from the Minutes explains that this was because of a "fierce & lamentable" fire at Bridewell Hospital.

#onthisday #londonhistory

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Sep 8

Ever thought about keeping a dream diary?
Bethlem psychiatrist Edward Hare kept dream records spanning 60 years! Entries range from the mundane to the magical, from the 1930s to the 1990s. Discover these diaries in the Between Sleeping and Waking exhibition, on now!
‧₊˚☁️☾⋅☁️˚₊‧
bit.ly/MOTM_dreams

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Sep 6

6 September every year is National Read a Book Day! What better excuse to curl up with a book in our reading nook in the Between Sleeping & Waking exhibition 📖💫 Or browse the Museum's library for some reading inspiration 📚
Open today until 5pm!
#betweensleepingandwaking #nationalreadabookday

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 24

On 24 August 1815, 122 Bethlem patients were taken across London in Hackney carriages from Moorfields to the new Bethlem Hospital site at St George’s Fields (pictured).

Remarkably, the move took place without any incidents or accidents, and cost the hospital around £18.

#OnThisDay

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 23

We can't wait for another Saturday of Between Sleeping and Waking - the response has been amazing, thank you to everyone who has visited so far!

We have the perfect cosy reading nook for visitors of all ages, make sure to stop by and read one of our bedtime stories ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

Open Wed-Sat 9:30-5pm.

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 22

Get that New School Year, New Notebook feeling with our range of quirky and affordable notebooks, exclusive to Bethlem Museum of the Mind!
All available online bit.ly/MOTM_Shop_all 📗📒📝📓

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 20

Bethlem and the Maudsley have provided specialist services for children throughout their history, at times having classrooms and education services onsite (Bethlem still has a school). Pictured here is a creative class at the Maudsley in the 1950s.

#londonhistory #mentalhealthhistory #backtoschool

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 18

Will you be studying Psychology in the new term? Get some inspiration in advance at Bethlem Museum of the Mind! Discover over 750 years of mental health history, from 1247 until the present day.
Open every Wednesday-Saturday 9:30-5pm, free entry.
bit.ly/visitmotm

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 16

It's the first Saturday of our Between Sleeping and Waking exhibition! 💭

Featuring artworks created over a period of 200 years, that speak to themes in archetypal dreams and nightmares; being chased, going to school, being late and many more.

Free entry, open Wed-Sat 9:30-5pm

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 14

We are thrilled to announce that our new exhibition, Between Sleeping and Waking, is officially open! 🎀✂️🖼️ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
The exhibition, and entry to Bethlem Museum of the Mind, is free and open Wed-Sun 9:30-5pm.

bit.ly/MOTM_dreams

Image: Everything is Real Except God and Death by George Harding

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 13

Sneak peek of the new exhibition 👀 'Between Sleeping and Waking' opens tomorrow and is already looking impressive! Kate McDonnell's immersive installation, Night Tides, dominates the space and evokes the restlessness, the disconnected thoughts, and whispered prayers of insomnia.

#insomnia #dreams

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 11

Ever dreamt of being chased, falling, or flying? Our new exhibition, 'Between Sleeping and Waking', will bring together 200 years of artwork to show you are not alone!
Opening this Thursday, 14 August *ੈ✩‧₊˚ bit.ly/MOTM_dreams

Image: Let There Be Light, Edgar Farrar, 1943.

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 10

🚶 The next Bethlem History Walk will be on Saturday 16 August! Join us for an invigorating walk around the stunning grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital. Tickets are £3 and selling fast bit.ly/45brtqk

🚶

#historywalk #museum #londonmuseum #londonnature

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 9

"Very moving exhibition. Felt curious, then deeply sad. As Anna Motz said - if crime and punishment become the entire story, we trivialise lives...we separate crime and humanity. Really brilliant. Thank you."
Don't miss your chance to see Crisis Point, today is the last day! bit.ly/visitmotm

Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 8

😺 Happy #internationalcatday from Bethlem Museum of the Mind, where we are surrounded by Louis Wain cats daily, and pestered by Arlo Pickles (the resident Hospital cat) regularly 🐾

bit.ly/louiswainshop

#louiswain #bethlemroyalhospital #bethlemmuseumofthemind #cats

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 5

Happy birthday Louis Wain! Born on this day in 1860, Wain was one of Bethlem's most famous patients. He was best known for his cat drawings, which remain enduringly popular today. We hold 55 of Wain's artworks in our collection, some of which are on permanent display 😺
#louiswain #onthisday

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 5

Did you spot us on The Guardian? 📰📱
'Between Sleeping and Waking: Hospital Dreams and Visions' opens on 13 August. Not long to go now! ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆
bit.ly/3H1DAgt

Dreams and nightmares exhibit to open at world’s oldest psychiatric hospital

Artwork and poems from contemporary artists and former Bethlem hospital patients to go on show

bit.ly

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 4

𓂃🖊 THIS Saturday at Bethlem Museum of the Mind! Femina Culpa: poetry inspired by Victorian women's experience of crime. Linda McKenna, Milena Williamson, and Emma McKervey tell stories of ordinary women caught up in criminal justice and mental health systems. 🎫 bit.ly/4o22z41
#feminaculpa #poetry

Femina Culpa: poetry inspired by Victorian women's experience of crime

Bethlem Museum of the Mind explores the history of art and mental healthcare, on the site of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, or 'Bedlam'.

bit.ly

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 2

Last chance to see Crisis Point! Only one week to go ⏰️ Explore the intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system through rarely seen artworks and powerful stories. Featuring Richard Dadd, Donald Hume, and more.
bit.ly/visitmotm Wed-Sat 9:30-5pm.
#crisispoint #mentalhealth

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 1

On 1st Aug 1817 Richard Dadd was born. He became one of the most promising young artists of his generation until, age 26 and suffering from delusions, he murdered his father. He spent 42 years in Bethlem and Broadmoor asylums, continuing to paint until his death in 1886.
#richarddadd #onthisday

Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Aug 1

🚦Roadworks between Bromley South & Bethlem Hospital have finished & the SL5 bus that links Bethlem Museum of the Mind with East Croydon and Bromley South rail stations is back up to its usual speed 🚍 Buses are now double-decker so twice as many people can make the trip! 🏛️𓂃𓏧🚌
bit.ly/visitmotm

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Jul 30

Coming to Bethlem Museum of the Mind on Saturday 09 August 2025, 2-3pm: Femina Culpa Poetry Collective! Linda McKenna, Milena Williamson, and Emma McKervey tell stories of ordinary women caught up in criminal justice and mental health systems.

Free, pre-booking is recommended: bit.ly/4o22z41

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Jul 29

Is it real, or just a dream? The existence of the mental processes we undergo while sleeping, and in the spaces between sleeping and waking, are undoubted. It’s never just a dream ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆
'Between Sleeping and Waking' opens on 13 August 2025.

Image:
'Dream Flight', 2011, Allan Beveridge.

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Jul 16

Coming soon! Femina Culpa: poetry inspired by Victorian women's experience of crime.
Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Saturday 09 August.
Linda McKenna, Milena Williamson, and Emma McKervey tell stories of ordinary women caught up in criminal justice and mental health systems.

bit.ly/MOTMfemculpa

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social · Jul 12

It's Wimbledon Finals weekend! For those who can't get enough of tennis, here's the Governors of Bethlem Ladies Singles Tennis Cup from 1936.
And for those of you that need to get away from it - we are free to visit and open today! You can even see the cup in person 🏆
#Wimbledon2025

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