The Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum records the lives and experience, and celebrates the achievements, of people with mental health problems.

The Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum was established in 1967 as the Archives Department of the Bethlem Royal Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital.  It now houses art and historical collections spanning many centuries which are of unique interest and importance in the field of mental health.  These include the archives of Bethlem Hospital (the original 'Bedlam', founded in 1247) and the Maudsley and Warlingham Park Hospitals; an outstanding collection of paintings and drawings, including works by Richard Dadd, Louis Wain, Jonathan Martin, and William Kurelek; the statues of 'Raving and Melancholy Madness' from the gates of 17th century Bethlem; and many other documents and artefacts of historic and artistic significance. 

•   to collect, preserve and interpret for the benefit of the public, archives, pictures, artefacts and manuscripts relating to mental health

•   to promote wider knowledge of the history of mental health care and treatment

•   to contribute generally to the public understanding and de-stigmatisation of mental illness

 To achieve our goals we will:

•  safeguard, maintain and administer the art and historical collections of the Bethlem Art and History Collections Trust and develop them in accordance with our declared policies

• safeguard, maintain and administer the public records entrusted to us by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in accordance with relevant legislative provisions

• promote the use of the collections for purposes of education and lifelong learning in accordance with our declared education policy

•  promote access to the collections for the widest possible audiences, both national and international, through personal access to the archives and museum displays at Bethlem Hospital, by remote access through information technology, and through programmes of off-site exhibitions and outreach

• undertake and facilitate research into the history of mental health care and treatment, and the relationship between art and mental health

• form partnerships with other bodies as appropriate

• seek to obtain the resources needed to realise these aims

 We aim to become a leading information and learning resource for the history of mental health care and treatment.

Adopted by the Trustees, 1 March 2002