PoW! – Glenside Hospital Museum

August 28, 2026

Fundraising event: hand-printing a postcard

Make a hand-printed festive postcard while you enjoy a visit to our museum! In this postcard workshop, you will create a beautiful black on white monoprint using foam sheet to draw and print your design on a pre-printed blank postcard. You can take away your personalised postcard to send to someone you love!

June 13, 2026

Tea in the Turret

Ascend a secret spiral staircase to enjoy tea and cake in a hidden balcony overlooking our museum. Tea in the Turret is a unique way to immerse yourself in the history of mental health care while relaxing with friends & family. Tickets essential, book yours now.

June 13, 2026

Exploring Glenside: guided walking tours for summer 2026

Join us for a relaxed guided walking tour around the grounds of Glenside to explore its hidden history and unravel some of its mystery. Hosted on Sat 18th July, Sat 29th August and Sat 26th September.

April 29, 2026

Freelance archive specialist role available

We are now recruiting for a freelance archive specialist as part of our Fit for the Future project at Glenside Hospital Museum. Applications close on 8th May. Find out more.

April 2, 2026

Behind closed doors: The hidden mental health crisis in prisons

On Thursday 7th May UWE programme leader Paul Gavin is hosting a talk. Drawing on research and practice, this session will examine the prevalence of mental health conditions among incarcerated populations, the impact of isolation, overcrowding, and violence, and the systemic barriers to effective care.

March 3, 2026

National Lottery Open Week: History in your Hands

Have you ever wanted to get your hands on items in our museum collection? On Saturday 7th March 2026 for National Lottery Open Week, our museum is opening its doors for a unique experience. Read on to find out about this fantastic opportunity...

January 22, 2026

Victorian patient portraits: a talk with Dr Paul Tobia 19th March 2026

Unlike the sometimes sterile notes of the medics, these photos brought back their humanity, though often pose more questions: What were they like? Can you tell what was wrong with them? Did they like having their photos taken? In this talk, Dr Tobia will discuss how people with psychiatric problems have been portrayed, how photography changed that, and how our asylum used these photographs.

January 18, 2026

2025 at Glenside Hospital Museum in Bristol

We're very grateful to everyone who supported our museum in 2025. Whether you volunteered with us, visited the museum, attended an event, bought from our eBay shop or museum gift shop, created art for one of our exhibitions or commented/liked/shared our social media posts to help raise our profile. Read on for a round-up of our best events of 2025.

October 6, 2025

Portraits of Victorian patients at Bristol Lunatic Asylum

October 6, 2025

Two asylums under one roof: gender differences in Victorian healthcare

On Thursday 20th November our brilliant researcher Dr Paul Tobia will present a thought-provoking talk and discussion, examining how gender shaped experiences of care and control within the asylum. How were men and women treated differently — and what does that tell us about society then and now?