Happy Burn's Night! To celebrate we are sharing this delightful feline bagpiper on the cover of Louis Wain's Little Soldiers, written by May Crommelin, published around 1916. The hero of this story is Tommy Catkin, who rises through the ranks to captain, and marries the King's daughter 😺 #burnsnight

Our new exhibition, Kindred, is now open! Featuring art from our stored collections, as well as photos by Gareth McConnell, paintings by the artist Mud, and a triptych by Annabel Merrett. ❗ Open Wed-Sat 9:30am-5pm, free admission 🔗 bit.ly/MOTM_Kindred 🖼️ Image: 'Two Embracing Figures' by David Chick

We are thrilled to be mentioned in the Londonist's list of top exhibitions to see in London this month! bit.ly/3LJm9Uc Our exhibition, 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥, opens this Friday 16 January. Focusing on the power of communities for those suffering mental health challenges. Two Embracing Figures by David Chick

Our new exhibition, Kindred, opens this Friday, but if you were to visit tomorrow afternoon you may catch a sneak peek in advance 👀 🗓️ KIndred: 16 January - 27 June 2026 🔗bit.ly/MOTM_Kindred 🖼️ Image: Totem Pole II by Ben Silcock

🖼️ It's the last Saturday of the Bethlem Art Fair! There's still loads of gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, affordable art to be found: from sculpture to greetings cards, pottery to oil painting. Don't miss out! Open 9:30-5pm - entry is free #affordableart #bethlemmuseumofthemind Bethlem Gallery

🫂 Kindred: The Loneliness of Suffering and the Community of Lived Experience 📆 Opens Friday 16 January at Bethlem Museum of the Mind 🔗 bit.ly/MOTM_Kindred #mentalhealth #kindred #freeexhibition

Only ONE week left to explore the Bethlem Art Fair! 🎨🖼️ Discover unique, affordable pieces and take home something truly special. Don’t miss out! Open today 9:30am-5pm. #bethlemgallery #bethlemartfair Bethlem Gallery #affordableart

🎉 It's a brand New Year! 🎉 We're open again tomorrow! Start the year off exploring mental health history, strolling in the grounds of the Hospital, and shopping at the Bethlem Art Fair (just one week left to bag some affordable one-of-a-kind art!) 🕒 Open 9:30 – 5pm #bethlemmuseumofthemind #artfair

🎄 The sun sets on this Christmas Eve and we’re taking a festive break! Our doors will reopen on Friday 02 January 2026 at 9:30am. ✨ Seasonal greetings from everyone here at Bethlem Museum of the Mind ✨

Remember we are open: 🎉 Today! 🎁 Tomorrow, Fri 19 December 🌲 Sat 20 December 🎄Christmas Eve, Wed 24 December Drop by for some last minute Christmas shopping at the Bethlem Art Fair and Museum shop, and soak up a little history before the holidays 🖼️ Images: All available in the Museum shop!

We're excited to announce our first exhibition of 2026 - 'Kindred: the loneliness of suffering and the community of lived experience' opens on 16 January 2026 🔗 bit.ly/MOTM_Kindred Image: Holding Onto Daddy by Benji Reid #bethlemmuseumofthemind #mentalhealth #community #kindred #art #photography

🎄 Christmas at Bethlem 1859 ✨ When the Hospital was situated at St George's Fields (see second photo for the impressive exterior!) balls were usually held monthly. This illustration captures the festive spirit of these gatherings 💃 #christmasatbethlem #victorianchristmas

🎄 Christmas at Bethlem, 1907. When the hospital was located at St George’s Fields (now the site of London's Imperial War Museum!), the male and female wards shared communal spaces filled with art, curiosities, and statues - one of which we see here decorated as Father Christmas! 🎅

A little Christmas treat from us 🧩 Enjoy a free #LouisWain online jigsaw! 👉 bit.ly/3p1y6na (Image: Cat's Christmas by Louis Wain) #louiswain #jigsaw #mindful #bethlemmuseumofthemind

We are OPEN today! 9:30am-5:30pm today, free entry and plenty of festive shopping to be had in the Bethlem Art Fair! Plus discover the history of Bethlem and mental health treatment in our permanent Museum display 🧠💚🖼️ #bethlemartfair #bethlemmuseumofthemind #christmasshopping

🎄 Christmas Opening Hours! ✨ Bethlem Museum of the Mind will be closed from 𝗧𝗵𝘂 𝟮𝟱 𝗗𝗲𝗰 𝟮𝟱 - 𝗧𝗵𝘂 𝟬𝟭 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝟮𝟲 but there's plenty of time to visit before Christmas! Open every Wed-Sat (excl. dates above) and entry is FREE 🎅 bit.ly/visitmotm #bethlemmuseumofthemind #christmasinlondon #freeentry

Louis Wain Christmas Cards available to buy in the Museum shop and online 😻 Three Cats and Plum Pudding, Cat's Christmas, and Carol Singing Cats -all by Louis Wain (1860-1939) bit.ly/louiswainshop #louiswain #catsandchristmas #louiswaincats #bethlemmuseumofthemind

Our archive may be small, but it’s mighty - housing over 6,000 items that trace the evolution of psychiatric care through Bethlem Royal Hospital, the Maudsley & Warlingham Park. Whether you're a researcher, student, or curious visitor, there's a story here waiting to be uncovered. #EYAYourArchives

2026 marks 350 years since Bethlem moved from its medieval Bishopsgate home to a purpose-built site at Moorfields, with the iconic Raving & Melancholy statues installed over the gates. Today’s site still sits on a 999-year lease from the City of London, so only 649 years left... #EYAAnniversaries

Our Archives are open to all, we strive to make them accessible. We recently hosted sessions at River House, Bethlem’s forensic unit, to explore our collections for Black History Month. We were blown away by the enthusiasm from participants! More on Black lives & Bethlem-bit.ly/44hFnGL #EYAInclusion

You can explore our Lantern Slide Collection on our website for free! bit.ly/MOTMLantern Including early 20th-century gems like Sister Simpson dressed as Southwark Hospital for a fancy dress ball! We’re working on digitising more records in 2026, watch this space! #EYADigital #ExploreYourArchives

There’s a long history of pets in the hospital - how many animals you can spot in this photo of an 1850s ward? The Victorians believed a homely environment, with pets, was beneficial for patients. Today, we have our own Hospital cat, who has to be gently kept away from our artworks… #EYAPets #Arlo

Hidden in our archives are what remains of the stories of people who were not heard in their lifetime. Our Change Minds projects explored the lives of real people in our casebooks, but there are hundreds more waiting to be re-discovered. Uncover their stories here bit.ly/MOTM_people #EYASilence

Bethlem was founded as The Priory of the Order of St Mary of Bethlehem in 1247. The Order disappeared from history in the 1300s, but they gave us our name and our first symbol ⭐ Our star pin is inspired by a medieval manuscript recording activities of the Order bit.ly/bethlemstarpin #EYAMedieval

🎄 Christmas & New Year Opening Hours 🎄 Here’s when we’ll be open over the festive season: ✅ Wednesday 24 December – OPEN 09:30–17:00 ❌ Thursday 25 Dec - Thursday 01 Jan (inclusive) – CLOSED ✅ Friday 2 January – OPEN 09:30–17:00 ✨ Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! ✨

The work of Stanley Lench is both beautiful and simultaneously a critique of the construction of beauty, and of art itself. You can view more of his extraordinary and vivid art here 🔗 bit.ly/MOTM_Lench #EYABeauty Image: Marlene Dietrich (c.1975)

Our latest conservation project is also the most visible! Bethlem's turret clock, on top of the Museum building, is being restored and will tell the time for our visitors early in the New Year 🕰️ Scaffolding is in place, but we’re open as usual! #EYAConservation @maudsleynhs.bsky.social

🎄✨ The Bethlem Art Fair is back, now in the Museum of the Mind's exhibition space! 🎨🖼️ Discover a stunning variety of paintings, prints, ceramics, and more, all at affordable prices. Opens tomorrow! #BethlemArtFair #BethlemMuseumOfTheMind #ChristmasShopping #ShopSmall #SupportArtists @bethlemgallery

Celebrating Museum Shop Sunday all week in our online shop! Find unique, meaningful gifts and support Bethlem Museum of the Mind! Link in bio 🎄🛍️🎁🎀 #BethlemMuseumOfTheMind #MuseumShopSunday @museumshops.bsky.social #museumshops #ShopWithPurpose #shoplocal #beckenham #westwickham #croydon #bromley

We are pleased to announce the daily themes for the 2025 #ArchiveAdventCalendar. A reminder that anyone can take part in December. Just post something with the daily hashtag and #ArchiveAdventCalendar. We can't wait to see what you will all share this year! 😁🎄🎅

#armisticeday During WWII, the Maudsley Hospital split locations to Sutton & Mill Hill to avoid London air raids. Dr Eric Guttmann, a German-Jewish psychiatrist, faced internment as an "enemy national" despite 6 years at the Maudsley 🔗 bit.ly/482mPME Images: Workshop at Mill Hill Dr Eric Guttmann

📜 “They called me mad, and I called them mad, and damn them, they outvoted me.” #OnThisDay in 1684, the playwright Nathaniel Lee was confined to Bethlem Hospital. Lee’s mental health struggles made him both a patient and a public spectacle, and his story ended tragically in 1692 🔗 bit.ly/491G5uN

#RemembranceSunday In the summer of 1916, Bethlem Royal Hospital hosted a garden party for wounded WWI soldiers. Guests were treated to "good tea, a famous band, and a variety concert of the richest and best". Watch the full 12 minute silent film of the day here 📽️ youtu.be/1OneTOeunhY

Only 2 weeks left of our Between Sleeping and Waking exhibition 😱! The exhibition space is dominated by Kate McDonnell’s immense installation Night Tides, which evokes the restlessness of insomnia. It's totally FREE and utterly mesmerising ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡🪐⋆ bit.ly/visitmotm #nighttides #insomnia #dreams

🎇 Louis Wain's Kaleidoscope Cats are like bursts of feline fireworks: vivid, surreal, and hypnotic. It's often claimed these works reflect his mental decline, but there's no evidence that the paintings are related to each other and all are undated. 😺 bit.ly/WainMyth #louiswain #kaleidoscopecats

Bringing the kids? Be sure to cosy up in our story time pod! Part of the Between Sleeping and Waking exhibition until 22 November 📚‧₊˚☁️ ♡🪐⋆ #betweensleepingandwaking #FreeExhibition #freelondonmuseum #mentalhealth #dreams #sleep

#OnThisDay in 1977 the artist William Kurelek died. His 1953 autobiographical painting, The Maze, painted during his time as a patient at the Maudsley Hospital, continues to captivate visitors to Bethlem Museum of the Mind. Discover this intriguing artwork here: bit.ly/MOTMMaze

We look pretty good when the nights start drawing in ☺️🌙✨🍂 🔗 bit.ly/visitmotm #autumn #bethlemmuseumofthemind

There's only one month left of Between Sleeping and Waking at Bethlem Museum of the Mind! This hauntingly beautiful exhibition features art by Bethlem Hospital patients and others spanning over 200 years. Image: Dream Flight by Allan Beveridge #bethlemmuseumofthemind #dreamart #dreamdiaries

Museum exclusive! This book presents 20 artworks by Charlotte Johnson-Wahl from her year at the Maudsley Hospital in the 1970s. Insights from Colin Gale, Director of the Museum of the Mind, and Charlotte’s daughter, Rachel Johnson, highlight the artist's life & legacy. Buy here: bit.ly/4o3RnU6.

🕰️ Don't forget the clocks go back tonight! You get an extra hour tomorrow to plan your next visit to Bethlem Museum of the Mind 😊 We're open every Wednesday-Saturday 9:30-5pm, so there's plenty of 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 to visit us bit.ly/visitmotm #clocksgoback #autumn #greenwichmeantime

💡 Looking for something inspirational, unusual, and free to do in London today? Visit Bethlem Museum of the Mind! You'll discover over 750 years of mental health history, fascinating art, the mystery of dreams, and beautiful nature in the grounds (lots of mushrooms to spot! 🍄) bit.ly/visitmotm

📆 This week marks 778 years since Simon FitzMary gave land at Bishopsgate to the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem, founding what became Bethlem Hospital, the world’s first institution dedicated to mental health care. 1/3

🚶➡️ There's still a couple of tickets left for the History Walk with Bethlem Gallery this Saturday! But be quick they go fast .... bit.ly/4qoSQ95 Keep up with all our events on our website 🔗 bit.ly/42N9kh7

🍏Happy Apple Day! 🍎 (The floating banners are part of Bethany Williams’s exhibition at @bethlemgallery - This Wild, Achingly Beautiful Place.) #appleday #orchard #apples #bethlemmuseumofthemind

A new week begins & we're excited to welcome our Learning groups, room hirers & visitors! Pop into the shop while you're here - there are plenty of gifts to get you started on your seasonal shopping! 🎁Special Offer! Spend £8 & get a free advent calendar! #adventcalendar #bethlemmuseumofthemind

Step into the dream like atmosphere of 'Between Sleeping and Waking' today at Bethlem Museum of the Mind ⋆.˚☁️⋆ Featuring Kate McDonnell’s immersive installation Night Tides, which evokes the fragmented thoughts and whispered prayers of insomnia. Free entry. Open Wed-Sat. #DreamVibes #NightTides

Sometimes there are no words. Olivia Gillow’s painting ‘Cradle Soap’, on display at Bethlem Museum of the Mind, has helped visitors to understand OCD in a way that words could not have done. #GettingIt #TogetherAgainstOCD #OCDWeek #ocdawareness

We're inspired by the resilience and artistic vision of Charlotte Johnson Wahl, an OCD sufferer and Maudsley Hospital resident in the 1970s. This OCD Awareness Week we have a new addition to the Museum’s collections - Johnson Wahl's vibrant painting 'Morning Group'. #TogetherAgainstOCD #OCDWeek