On Saturday 9th August, we organised a group visit to Glenside Hospital Museum which is really interesting and the presentation of the exhibits is excellent. Certainly worth a second visit.
With support from the Royal Society, Glenside Hospital Museum, located in the Fishponds area in the grounds of the old psychiatric Stoke Park Hospital, discovered three historic pioneers of brain research in Bristol. It is housed in the 1881 Grade II listed asylum church just inside the grounds. The main hospital building is now used by the University of West of England as their Health and Social Care Campus. Stoke Park was previously one of the residences of the late Duke and Duchess of Beaufort.
Mrs Rosa Gladys Burden (1891-1939) was a matron at Stoke Park Colony, a hospital for those with learning difficulties. She continued the business after her husband’s death and founded the Burden Mental Research Trust in 1933, donating £10,000 to investigate the causes of “mental deficiency”. This attracted eminent scientists to Bristol, including Dr Grey Walter, who pioneered robotics and artificial intelligence from 1930-1971. He developed electrical methods to record brain activity, such as Electroencephalogram (EEG), which aids in diagnosing and monitoring brain conditions. He also created an Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) machine that helped some people with severe mental illness recover. This therapy is still used today.
In 1944, Dr Donal Early (1917-2004) arrived in Bristol and pioneered new treatments for mental illness at Glenside Hospital. In the 1950s, he initiated research on new therapies and drugs, often collaborating with the Burden Neurological Institute.
The asylum had been built to provide patients with five ingredients to support recovery and wellbeing which we are all familiar with today: a safe uplifting environment, good diet, sleep, exercise and occupation. However, with the NHS takeover in 1948, the element of occupation within mental health hospitals was largely removed.
Dr. Early recognised this and developed a pioneering system of “industrial rehabilitation”. He brought real work into the Occupational Therapy department, established a factory outside the hospital, and took supported groups into open industry. By 1960, the scheme had become the Industrial Therapy Organisation (Bristol) Ltd (ITO), with patients paid to work alongside permanent employees in various industries across Bristol. ITO’s success led to its replication across Britain and internationally.
In 1979, he retired from the NHS and worked as a World Health Organisation Advisor on Mental Health. In 1984, he founded our unique and nationally important Glenside Hospital Museum, now housed in the former hospital church.
A visit not to be missed