Heritage Open Days / History in your hands, Sat 19th Sept 2026
About this Event
FREE Heritage Open Day entry to one of Bristol’s most fascinating hidden museums
Upgrade to our exclusive History in your Hands experience for just £5 (includes annual museum pass)
Glenside Hospital Museum
Chapel within the old hospital grounds, UWE Glenside Campus, Blackberry Hill, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 1DD
Saturday 19th September 2026
🎟 Free museum entry as part of Heritage Open Days
⭐ Enhance your visit: £5 History in your Hands experience including hands-on access to museum objects and an annual pass for unlimited visits for 12 months
Discover hidden histories at Glenside Hospital Museum
Step inside one of Bristol’s most fascinating hidden gems. Housed in the beautiful former hospital chapel dating from 1881, complete with stained glass windows.
Glenside Hospital Museum invites you to explore the history of mental health care via a large collection of fascinating artefacts, including photographs of Victorian patients accompanied by their stories.
Explore the history of three historic Bristol institutions:
• Glenside Hospital (formerly Bristol Lunatic Asylum)
• Stoke Park Hospital, supporting people with learning disabilities
• Beaufort War Hospital, where over 29,000 wounded WWI soldiers were treated
Encounter extraordinary objects and personal stories, from a patient-made key that once unlocked every door in the hospital to striking drawings by 1950s artist-patient Denis Reed. Walk the same tiled corridors once scrubbed by Stanley Spencer during his wartime service as a hospital orderly.
⭐ Upgrade your visit: History in your Hands (£5)
Make your Heritage Open Day visit even more memorable with our exclusive History in your Hands experience.
This special behind-the-scenes session gives you the rare opportunity to:
• Handle original museum artefacts up close
• Explore a deactivated ECT machine and learn how treatments evolved
• Experience objects such as a straitjacket, rarely accessible to the public
• Learn from knowledgeable volunteers and staff
Your £5 ticket also includes an annual museum pass, giving you unlimited visits for 12 months, including future exhibitions and events.
Limited places available. Advance booking recommended.
☕ Tea in the Turret
Climb a hidden spiral staircase to our atmospheric balcony overlooking the museum and enjoy tea and cake in a unique historic setting.
Booking essential. Eventbrite tickets available here.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00 to GBP 6.13
