Mental Health Museum

General information

Welcome to the Mental Health Museum!

The Mental Health Museum is a unique museum governed by the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The museum houses a remarkable collection of mental health related objects that span the history of mental health care from the early 19th century through to the present day.

The museum is going through a fantastic and exciting programme of development and is changing as we speak.

We are currently working on redesigning the museum’s displays, the education programme, the temporary exhibition programme, our out-reach work and much more.

Our Mission:

• To promote understanding, empowerment and respect.

• To combat social inequality, prejudice, stigma and ignorance.

• To contribute towards breaking down the barriers to wellbeing.

Our Statement of Purpose

To become a leading resource for:

• the history of mental health care

• debates surrounding contemporary mental health care and treatments

• life-long learning

For more information about the museum’s mission, purpose, collection and what we aim to achieve please explore our website and contact the museum on 01924 328 654 or museum@swyt.nhs.uk

The History of the Museum

The Mental Health Museum is governed by the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The museum sits at the heart of Fieldhead Hospital. The hospital provides a number of services including; therapy and psychology services, forensic services and learning disability assessment and treatment services to name but a few.

The museum used to be known as the Stephen G Beaumont Museum and focused specifically on the history and architecture of the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum: Wakefield, which was to be later known as Stanley Royd Hospital.

The museum was originally opened in 1974 at the Stanley Royd Hospital site and was developed by Mr Lawrence Ashworth. Mr Ashworth was the Secretary to Stanley Royd Hospital from 1961 to 1973, and during this time Mr Ashworth took a keen interest in recording and researching the evolutionary history of the Wakefield Asylum into the hospital he knew so very well. Mr Ashworth’s account of the hospital’s history can be found in his book Stanley Royd Hospital Wakefield: One Hundred and Fifty years A History.

After Mr Ashworth’s retirement in 1973, he officially became the museum’s curator in 1979. The original museum was named after Mr Stephen G Beaumont who was appointed Chairman of the Wakefield ‘B’ Group in 1957 and remained in this position until 1964. Mr Beaumont and the committee agreed to fund the museum and its development.

The Stephen G Beaumont Museum remained on the Stanley Royd Hospital site until 1995 when the hospital was decommissioned, and moved to its current location on the Fieldhead Hospital site.

Since the museum’s opening in 1974, the museum has been in the care of Mr Lawrence Ashworth, Mr J Markwell and Mr Michael McCarthy. The museum was much loved and represented years of devotion and commitment by its staff and volunteers. Some of the key additions introduced by these keepers include; a scale model of the original ‘H’ design Asylum building, the transcription of the Reverend T.B. Clarkson’s Chaplain’s journal and the re-discovered and adapted garden statue of the goddess Flora.

In 2011 the Trust’s Change Lab initiative identified that museum had great potential to do more than showcase the collection. The Change Lab working group, consisting of services users and carers and supported by Trust staff, identified that the Museum could be used to break down barriers, reduce stigma and discrimination in our society.

It was recognised that with creativity, professional museum support and the on-going collaboration with service users, carers, staff and the community, the museum would develop into the Mental Health Museum.

The museum will open to the public 13th May 2014. The museum will be free to enter and open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10am - 4pm. Monday and Tuesday are reserved for large group bookings and educational tours.

For more information about the museum’s mission, purpose, collection and what we aim to achieve please explore our website and/or contact the museum on 01924 328 654 or museum@swyt.nhs.uk