Mental Health Museum
Free museum on the Fieldhead Hospital site in Wakefield about 200 years of mental health care, told through objects and stories; visits by appointment.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum began in 1974 as the Stephen G Beaumont Museum at Stanley Royd Hospital in Wakefield. It was proposed by the hospital secretary, Lawrence Ashworth, and named after the committee chairman who agreed to fund it. At first it covered only the history of Stanley Royd, which opened in 1818 as the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum and became the largest mental health provider in West Yorkshire.
When Stanley Royd closed in 1995, the collection moved to Fieldhead Hospital, where it is still based. By 2010 the museum was open only one day a week and its displays were out of date. It mainly served senior medical professionals and researchers, and many service users and local people found it hard to approach.
In 2014 a working group of service users, carers and staff from the local mental health trust reimagined the museum, which reopened as the Mental Health Museum. It is part of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and works with service users, staff and the wider community. Its exhibitions cover the history of mental health care from the early 19th century to the present day.
Highlights
- Objects and stories covering about 200 years of mental health care
- Displays developed with service users, carers and staff
- A collection that grew out of the museum of the former Stanley Royd Hospital
Permanent exhibition
- History of mental health care – Objects and stories showing how mental health care in the Wakefield area has changed over the last 200 years.
- Founded
- 1974
- Operated by
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free. A donation of £2 to the museum charity is suggested.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entrance has an automatic door that wheelchair users can use, and all displays are on the ground floor. There is a level access toilet and there are parking spaces for Blue Badge holders. Guide dogs are welcome.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
From Wakefield bus station, take buses towards Fieldhead Hospital or Pinderfields Hospital. Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate stations are each about a 30-minute walk or a 5-minute taxi ride away.
By car
Free parking
Free parking at Fieldhead Hospital, but spaces are limited. Coaches cannot park on site: they should drop visitors at the main entrance and park elsewhere. Minibuses with up to 16 seats can park if they fit in a marked bay; contact the museum first.
- Accessible parking
By car, leave the M1 at junction 41 and follow signs for Fieldhead Hospital. Sat nav: Fieldhead Hospital, Ouchthorpe Lane, WF1 3SP.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum is on a working hospital site, so visitors are asked to be considerate of the people on site.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Visits must be arranged in advance by email or telephone. Some objects and themes can be upsetting, so visitors can ask staff for details before they come. |
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