“How We Care”, Gloucestershire Archives and Mental Health

The subject of mental health is very much in the news these days, but the historic record shows that the topic is anything but new. In fact, Gloucestershire Archives holds the largest collection of mental health records of any repository in the country. These are on the whole related to the City’s three mental health institutions Barnwood House Private Mental Hospital and Trust, Horton Road County Lunatic Asylum and Coney Hill Hospital.

The Famous

Our tale this time takes us to Cheltenham. Or as it was known when I was a wee boy “Chelpenum”. Cheltenham is the second biggest town in Gloucestershire after Gloucester which is the county town. Cheltenham is famed as a spa town and the home of the Cheltenham races. Cheltenham stands on the small River Chelt, which rises nearby at Dowdeswell and runs through the town on its way to the Severn. It was first recorded in 803, as Celtan hom; the meaning has not been resolved with certainty, but latest scholarship concludes that the first element preserves a Celtic noun cilta, ‘steep hill’, here referring to the Cotswold scarp; the second element may mean ‘settlement’ or ‘water-meadow’.

Gloucestershire Archives accessions, January-March 2024

It is that time of the year again when we look at the accessions of the first quarter of the year, January to March 2024. The accessions can be from any place, person or organisation in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

Look at my Big Drawers! It’s the Cabinet of Curiosities.

I am so grateful to have a nose. Without having a nose and its scent detecting abilities, I would, for example, be unable to take in and fully appreciate the delightful, fragrant odours of hyacinth blooms in springtime.

But more importantly, without a nose there would be no way of easily homing in on hot dog stands with their alluring onion- and sausage-based aromas filling the air, acting as a huge smell-flag for me and my stomach to notice and then act upon.

Whilst we’re thinking about enticing food smells, one cannot fail to mention the ever-pleasurable sizzling bacon. Or the homely and comforting freshly baked bread. Recently brewed coffee too, that must be given plenty of consideration.

Actually, put all those three together, preferably into my stomach – bacon, fresh bread and coffee – and me and my nose will be satisfied for the rest of the day.

New faces at Gloucestershire Archives

In this blog post we want to welcome two new faces here at Gloucestershire Archives. We were recently joined by Archivist Briony and Apprentice Archives Assistant Ethan, they have both written a short piece to introduce themselves, read more below.