Panacea Museum

About the museum

The Panacea Museum tells the story of the Panacea Society, a religious group formed in Bedford in the early twentieth century and made up mostly of women. Its leader was Mabel Barltrop, a clergyman’s widow whom followers called Octavia. The group drew on the prophecies of Joanna Southcott, who died in 1814 leaving a sealed box of prophecies, and it campaigned for the Church of England to open the box. During the 1920s and 1930s the community grew to more than 70 residents in and around Albany Road, with about 2,000 members elsewhere, and over 130,000 people applied for its healing by blessed water and linen squares.

The society combined the gardens of several properties into a private campus around a chapel, which its members believed to be the Garden of Eden. The last member died in 2012, and the society became the Panacea Charitable Trust, which opened the museum in the original buildings.

The main displays are in The Haven, the main entrance building, and in Castleside, a Victorian house. The Chapel, the Wireless Room and Founder’s House are presented as they may have looked in the 1930s. An 1857 Columbian printing press that the society used is also on show. The museum also tells of other similar religious groups, and the trust’s archive can be consulted by appointment.

Highlights

• Original Panacea Society buildings and gardens on a private campus
• Founder’s House, Chapel and Wireless Room presented as in the 1930s
• Story of Joanna Southcott’s sealed box of prophecies
• 1857 Columbian printing press with art sessions
• Free entry and a traditional tea room

Permanent exhibitions

• The Haven and Castleside – The main displays on the Panacea Society and other similar religious groups, in the community’s Victorian headquarters buildings.
• Chapel, Wireless Room and Founder’s House – Buildings of the former community campus presented as they may have looked in the 1930s.
• Printing press – An 1857 Columbian press used by the society, with regular art sessions where visitors make their own prints.

Founded

2012

Operated by

The Panacea Charitable Trust

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free; donations are welcome. Group tours are free (up to 15 people per group), and a donation can be arranged during booking.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Step-free access is through the side gate and ramp on Castle Road; ring the doorbell for entry. The Haven, Castleside (with a lift to all floors) and the tea room are step-free. The Wireless Room, Chapel and Founder’s House have steps, uneven surfaces and narrow doorways, and large motorised wheelchairs and scooters may not reach parts of the site; a visitor guide is available for Founder’s House. A step-free adapted toilet is in Castleside; the nearest Changing Places toilet is at The Higgins Bedford. Assistance and support dogs are allowed everywhere. Lighting is low or very low to protect the objects, and some rooms have motion-sensor music. Blue Badge holders can park on Mill Street or on Albany Road behind the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Families can use trails, hats to try on, colouring sheets, wooden toys and, in summer, garden games, and the museum runs art and activity sessions. A baby changing station is in the accessible toilet and the tea room has a high chair. Please keep an eye on young children near the fish pond.

Getting there & parking

The museum is near The Higgins Bedford and the John Bunyan Museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

The tea room serves hot and cold drinks, snacks and toasted tea cakes, and has easy-grip cutlery on request. Books, postcards and gifts are sold at the welcome area, where rucksacks and bags can be left with staff.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit