If you were looking for something a little different to do with the family on a wet Sunday afternoon in the 1700's, you could do worse than take a trip to Bethlehem hospital, known as 'Bedlam' (located on the site where the Imperial War Museum now stands), a huge and well-known lunatic asylum. On arrival you would enter the vast entrance hall to be confronted by Cibber's huge statues of two loonies, Melancholy and Madness, reputedly modelled on two of the inmates. From there you would progress to the main gallery, where all the most seriously disturbed residents would be chained to the walls, or in barred cells, for you to gawp and laugh at.
Any inmates that got a little out of hand would be whipped like animals. In 1770 the authorities seemed to notice that the inmates didn't like this treatment so much, but they didn't stop it as they were making too much dosh through contributions. Instead they decided to make it a ticket only affair. It makes our current behaviour concerning the mentally ill seem almost rather humane!
More tales, tips and trivia like this on a fabulous bike tour of london: http://www.biketouroflondon.com/
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With BrakeAway Bike Tours you’ll see more in a few hours than most see in a few days. Come and truly discover the real London, as we show you hidden places not listed in your guidebook and tell you tales about sites that breathe life into the history of one of the greatest cities in the world.
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