Monday, January 16, 2012
Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park
A view from the grounds surrounding the Imperial War Museum looking out toward Elephant and Castle. The Imperial War Museum was previously a mental hospital but as far back as 1329 a hospital for the treatment of mental disorders existed here. During Victorian times 'asylum's' were moved to more rural areas. The last hospital closing in 1926. The freehold of the site was bought by Vicount Rothermere in 1930 to be made into a public space known as Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park in memory of his mother.