About the records

Title	Records of Bethlem Museum of the Mind
Date Range	1553-2004
Repository	Bethlem Museum of the Mind
Abstract	This catalogue describes records, including photographs and artworks, from the South London and Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and its predecessors in England. The records cover the period 1553-2009. For more information see the 'Scope and Contents' section. Arrangement This catalogue is an archival listing of records (or ‘Inventory Items’). These records are arranged into categories (‘Series’) and subcategories (‘Sub-Series’). The collection comprises 14 series (broad categories to assist in navigation, numbered 01 to 14) and 328 sub-series (specific categories which each contain a unique two or three letter code eg. ‘QAM’). Imaged Records Online Some of the records have been digitally imaged and can be accessed from this catalogue. Records with images have a link to the right of screen in the form: 'Image>>'. For examples of and links to the imaged records see the 'Gallery' section. The Index An index of selected people, places and topics was added to the catalogue in 2008. This index will be updated periodically and new terms can and will be added. Sometimes index terms link to records that are on closed access and therefore not included the web catalogue. Where this occurs, the link leads to a "page not found" message. Use the back button to return to the index. Cultural Advice Statement Users of the catalogue are advised that the records held by Bethlem Museum of the Mind that are described therein include potentially sensitive information about patients of the past. Consulting these records may cause sadness or distress. Descriptions of symptoms, treatments, and (in the case of patients who died in hospital) autopsies may be upsetting for the general reader even when clinically unremarkable. Further, previous generations of record creators sometimes used language that would today be regarded as inconsiderate, or even offensive. Access, Use and Copyright Access to the imaged materials online is provided for the purposes of individual research or study. Bethlem Museum of the Mind expects researchers to respect the views and sensitivities of the people mentioned therein. Copyright in archival materials is inevitably complex. Researchers wishing to publish material from this collection will need to seek the appropriate copyright permissions. In the first instance, they should contact Bethlem Museum of the Mind. Guidance on citation and referencing of information in the guide and records in the collection can be provided upon request.

Administrative Information

The following statistical information has been automatically generated from the data entered into this trial version of the archives catalogue. As cataloguing is still in progress, this information should not be treated as a complete indication of the extent of the record holdings at Bethlem Museum of the Mind.

The collection is comprised of records from 150 accessions. The codes used to uniquely identify each accession range from 1967/A to Series 2.
The records have been allocated to 403 series. The codes used to uniquely identify each series range from 01 to ZLB.
Through the processing of the records, 22 provenance entities were identified. The codes used to uniquely identify each provenance entity, i.e. records creator or custodian, range from BM to WPH.
The inventory covers 9,716 items, and may include records of continuing value, records sentenced for destruction and records that have been destroyed. The codes used to uniquely identify each inventory item range from ACC-01 to ZLB-03. The total collection occupies 38,328 linear cm of shelf space (or its equivalent).
The documentation of the records at inventory level started on 15 February 2001. The latest additions were made on 2 December 2024. The latest modifications were made on 3 December 2024. This collection profile was updated on 3 December 2024.

Scope and Content

The South London and Maudsley NHS Trust was formed in April 1999 out of the merger of the Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust, Lewisham and Guy's Mental Health NHS Trust and the mental health services of Lambeth Healthcare NHS Trust.

Bethlem Museum of the Mind is approved by the Lord Chancellor as the place of deposit for the records of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and its predecessors. These include the records of Bethlem, the Maudsley and Warlingham Park Hospitals - all formerly under the umbrella of the Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust - and the joint records of Bridewell and Bethlem Hospitals.

However, Bethlem Museum of the Mind does not hold records relating to the hospitals and services that belonged to the other constituent parts of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust - Lewisham and Guy's Mental Health NHS Trust and the mental health services of Lambeth Healthcare NHS Trust - as these records were either destroyed or dispersed prior to April 1999.

The majority of the records of Cane Hill Hospital are held by Croydon Archives Service, Central Library, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1ET - click here to visit its website.

The records of Tooting Bec and South Western Hospitals are held by London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HB - click here to visit its website.

Published by the Bethlem Museum of the Mind, 14 May 2014
Listed by The Archives Team
HTML edition
Updated 3 December 2024
http://www.museumofthemind.org.uk/about.htm

The template for this finding aid is part of the Heritage Documentation Management System