Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park

You are approaching a green space that holds a layered and difficult past. Before it became a public park in 1934, this ground served as the site of the infamous Bethlem Royal Hospital, better known as Bedlam. For over a century, the hospital housed individuals struggling with mental illness within its imposing walls. The facility gained a grim reputation for the treatment of its patients, who were at one time even displayed for public entertainment. Today, the central copper-domed building of the former hospital remains at the heart of the park, transformed into the Imperial War Museum.