Laura
I have just finished my MA in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute, a part of the University of Birmingham dedicated to museum and heritage studies, and it was during this course that I developed an interest in the history of mental health and illness, especially institutional care. Originally I wanted to look at how museums interpret former asylums for a short research project, but some cursory research revealed that they are criminally under-represented in museums, as is the history of mental health in general. I decided to save this subject and make it my thesis.
I wanted my thesis to be useful, and to make something of a difference if possible. I did a lot of research into the current landscape of psychiatric buildings in the UK, and found them to be ill-protected, and treated in a manner that would never be tolerated for an historic house or other building. This is what lead me to Whitchurch – I wanted to see if the twin problems of a lack of museum provision and a lack of protection for a magnificent buildings could be planned for ahead of a building’s closure. I’m Cardiff born and bred, so it was not long before I thought of Whitchurch hospital – not only a magnificent building (exemplary in Wales and in a wider national context) but also home to a very forward-thinking approach to mental healthcare at the turn of the twentieth century. My thesis, “A Market for Madness?” primarily looked at the potential for Whitchurch to be preserved as a heritage site and the market potential of such a museum – I conducted several blind surveys online, and the results were incredibly interesting. My thesis would not have been possible without much help from Gwawr, for which I am very grateful. I’m really encouraged by the attitude of the Whitchurch Historical Society – enthusiasm for the history of a place is often the hardest thing to come by, and it is the only way psychiatric institutions are being preserved currently. I hope to do some more work with the WHHS, and I hope I can help in some small way.
I am hoping to look more at Whitchurch in the near future – starting with a few more pieces for this blog on my research so far. Also, I’m currently working at the Science Museum in London, primarily with the psychological collections (which include a rulebook from Whitchurch’s early days) and I’m applying to Ironbridge for funding for a PhD starting in 2012, looking in much greater depth at what Museums need to do to bring their interpretation of mental health and illness up to speed, because nowhere near enough is being done yet.
Thanks to Laura for this first installment
