Discourses of regeneration in early twentieth-century Britain: from Bedlam to the Imperial War Museum

Authors: Cooke S.¹; Jenkins L.²

Source: Area, Volume 33, Number 4, December 2001 , pp. 382-390(9)

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Abstract:

This paper examines the building that presently houses the Imperial War Museum, investigating the transformation of the archetypal ‘mad space’ of the Bethlem Royal Hospital into what has been described as the ‘biggest boy’s bedroom in London’. Following recent concerns in human geography with Imperial cities, it highlights the differing ways in which this transformation embodies a number of themes of degeneration and regeneration in early twentieth-century Britain.

Keywords: London; memory; architecture; ‘Bedlam’; regeneration; Imperial War Museum

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/026992099299167

Affiliations: 1: Department of Geography, University of Hull 2: School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham

Publication date: 2001-12-01