Glenside Museum facts for kids
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| Location | Glenside Campus, Fishponds, Bristol, England |
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The Glenside Museum is a special place located in Fishponds, Bristol, England. It's part of the University of the West of England's Glenside Campus. This museum tells the interesting story of a hospital that used to be there.
Contents
About the Glenside Museum
The Glenside Museum was started by Dr Donal F. Early. He was a doctor who helped people with their minds, called a psychiatrist, at Glenside Hospital starting in the 1950s. Dr. Early began collecting old items and pictures from the hospital. He first kept them on a balcony in the dining hall.
When the hospital building closed, the collection moved to the Glenside Chapel. This chapel was built a long time ago in 1861. It is a very old and important building. Over time, more items were added, and it became the museum you can visit today.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has many different items and pictures. These show what life was like at Glenside Hospital. This hospital had different names over the years. It was once called the Bristol Lunatic Asylum. During World War I, it was known as Beaufort War Hospital. Later, it became Bristol Mental Hospital.
The museum also has items from other local hospitals. These include the Stoke Park Group and the Burden Neurological Institution. These hospitals helped people with learning disabilities.
You can see drawings and paintings by a talented artist named Dennis Reed. He painted scenes of life at Glenside during the 1950s. These paintings are in a special part of the chapel. The museum gets help from people who donate items and money. There is a small fee for some events and special displays.
Early Medical Equipment
The museum has some interesting old machines. These include early Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) machines. These were used to help people with certain mental health conditions.
Stanley Spencer's Time at the Hospital
One famous person who worked at the hospital was a painter named Stanley Spencer. He later became known as Sir Stanley Spencer. He worked there in 1915 and 1916. He was a medical orderly, helping patients as part of the Royal Army Medical Corps.
The Hospital During World War I
During World War I, the hospital changed. It became the Beaufort War Hospital. It was used to care for many wounded soldiers. At times, it held over 1,460 soldiers. Some of the patients who were already there stayed to help with daily tasks.
Stanley Spencer found his time at the hospital challenging. However, he also had quiet moments. In a book about him, Stanley Spencer: Journey to Burghclere, it mentions his second day. He wrote, "I had to scrub out the Asylum Church. It was a splendid test of my feelings about this war." He also wrote about some of the patients. One patient always saluted with the wrong hand. Another thought he was an electric battery.
Remembering Stanley Spencer
On December 14, 2009, the University of the West of England held a special event. This was 50 years after Stanley Spencer passed away. The university now owns the hospital building. They showed new artwork and put up a blue plaque. This plaque remembers the painter's time at the busy Beaufort War Hospital.
See also
- Healthcare in Bristol
- Blackberry Hill Hospital
- Churches in Bristol
