Whittingham Lives - The Harris - 13/10/18 - 25/11/18

Oct, 15 2018

~World Mental Health Day took place last Wednesday 10th October. Even now in 2018 there is continuous stigma, negligence and ignorance surrounding mental health. Vulnerable people feel they can’t and won’t be heard.

Everyday is a battle from either peers, school and workmates who don’t understand and appreciate a person’s mental health needs and concerns. This isn’t a recent thing either. It goes back as far as the late 19th Century.

In 1873 Preston’s Whittingham Asylum opened it’s doors to the mentally ill. It’s most renowned scandal was housing pregnant women that were deemed mentally unstable for conceiving a child. It was finally demolished in 2016 and now two years later a unique project will seek to unearth many other dark stories and hidden histories.

‘Whittingham Lives’ will use contemporary artists to explore this renowned piece of medical history. It will combine personal experiences with social, cultural and historical observations. The overall aim is to examine changing attitudes towards mental distress in the past, present and future.

The exhibition is open at The Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston now until 25th November. Entrance is free.
 
During it’s longevity, Whittingham hospital became the 4th Lancashire County Asylum and grew to be the largest mental hospital in Britain. It closed down in the mid 1990’s amid scandalous and ill-treatment of patients. The 2018  exhibition seeks to expose  new and revealing stories about the patients and staff that lived here over a century year old cycle.

For those unfamiliar with the area the Harris Museum and Art Gallery is found on Market Square, Preston, PR1, 2PP.

Learn through creative arts about  this notorious hospital in an exciting and enthralling exhibition :-

• Whittingham Lives
• The Harris Museum and Art Gallery
• 13 October - 25 November 2018.

^Alex Ashworth.