BROADCASTS.com

When 42 bodies buried near Liverpool Street Station in London were dug up as part of the works on Crossrail on 12th August, 2015, they were thought to be victims of the Great Plague of 1665. The incident shone a light on the cemetery in which they were buried - a pauper\u2019s grave at Bethlem Hospital; the institution more commonly known as \u2018Bedlam\u2019.\nFrom its establishment in 1247, Bedlam \u2018lunatic asylum\u2019 quickly gained a reputation as a place that was pioneering - it was the only mental health facility in Britain - and fearsome, a place of stigma and spectacle. The public could pay to tour the facility and have pisspots thrown at them.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the abuses perpetrated at Bedlam still have echoes in modern-day surgery; look back at the first formal inspection of the premises; and consider why \u2018Bedlam\u2019 has become so resonant in literature from Shakespeare to Dickens\u2026\xa0\nCONTENT WARNING: description of unsanitary conditions and patient abuse; reference to out-dated and pejorative language about mental health\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018London Crossrail Dig At Bedlam Reveals 'Great Plague Victims' Were Buried In Thin Wooden Coffins\u2019 (HuffPost UK, 2015): https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/12/london-crossrail-excavators-skeletons-great-plague_n_7976488.html\n\u2022 \u2018How Bethlem Royal Hospital Became The Notorious Bedlam Asylum\u2019 (All Thats Interesting, 2021): https://allthatsinteresting.com/bedlam\n\u2022 \u2018Skeletons from Bedlam Hospital site uncovered by Crossrail\u2019 (Daily Mail, 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obXO60iOyLM\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back on Monday! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\xa0\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices