Chiswick House
Read the story of Chiswick House’s time as an asylum with blogs, images and a timeline.
Are the times changing?
We asked academic and activist Miro Griffiths to choose his favourite stories from our site, and give his own thoughts. This is a longer version of a piece which you can also see in our Story section.
Take the quiz: where would you like to live in history?
We bring you time travel! Find out where you would be happiest to live as a deaf or disabled person – from a medieval monastery to modern independent living.
The Many Lives of Alice Marie Lillie: Part One – Her Illness and Treatment
Maxine looks at the notes of another resident of Chiswick House, and finds a troubled woman gradually retreating into a world of make believe.
The Many Lives of Alice Mary Lillie: Part Two – Who Was Alice?
In her second look at the casenotes of one inmate of Chiswick House, Max focuses on her life in the years before she was admitted, and asks whether there are any clues here as to why she developed her illness.
What Became of Violet H Thompson?
Ann Newman looks at the case notes of a female patient of Chiswick House, finds evidence of Victorian attitudes percolating into 20th century medical thought, and discovers more loose ends than satisfying conclusions…
The Inheritance of Arthur Knowles
Maxine uncovers the story of an inmate of Manor House Asylum, Chiswick who may have been suffering from a hereditary degenerative disease. But further digging suggests there may be more to her initial diagnosis…
Who was Miss Violet Eleanor Mills?
Nina explores a young woman admitted to an asylum with insomnia and visions with religious overtones. She asks how we should interpret the diagnoses of other periods.
Deciphering the handwriting of the past at Chiswick House
Nina on the difficulty of deciphering other people’s handwriting in historical documents, and the quest to find women’s lives at Chiswick Asylum.
Unravelling the life of Francis Peter Gervais
A Northern Irish landowner, preoccupied with refuting those who denied Shakespeare’s authorship, emerges from Aliide Naylor’s research into Chiswick House Asylum.