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The “Stories of Mental Health” exhibition, held at The Retreat in York for World Mental Health Day 2025, celebrated the voices and creativity of those connected to mental health care in York across the centuries.

Drawing on unique materials from the Borthwick Institute for Archives, the project explored diaries, letters, poems, and photographs from people who lived in York’s mental health institutions during the 1800s. Highlights included Alfred Smith’s diary, Eliza ‘Minnie’ Harrison’s unsent letters, and poems by James Newby.

 

 Community workshops brought together artists, art groups, and individuals from across York to creatively respond to these historical archives. The resulting artworks ranged from illustrated maps and cyanotype prints to collages, poems, and interactive installations. Each piece reflected on themes of identity, memory, and the importance of being heard.

This art and archive exhibition is part of the Stories of Mental Health from York: Past, Present, and Future project, funded by Mentally Fit York at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.

Click here for a pdf of the exhibition booklet.

In 1877 Alfred Smith, aged 59, writes a diary from his home ‘The Retreat’, a ‘private lunatic asylum’ in York, UK.  Alfred’s diary is interesting in many ways, and significant as a historical account of disability, mental health and life in York.

The Retreat is also significant in the history of Mental Health. Founded by William Tuke in 1796 in reaction to the neglectful death of Hannah Mills, a fellow quaker, whilst in Bootham Asylum in York. William Tuke’s son, Henry Tuke, and his son Samuel Tuke continued the work.

The Retreat proposed a different, more humane, family approach. Described as ‘moral treatment’, much is written about how this changed mental health care in the 1800’s.  However, less is heard about the lives of people that lived there.

Alfred’s diary gives a good account of life at The Retreat. It includes many things, including a large number of walking routes that he took around the streets and pathways of York.

These all begin ‘…took a walk…’ and then detail, the specific street names and pathways of the routes he follows. 

Below is a retracing of Alfred Smith’s diary entry from 1^st January 1877 where he recounts, his initial journey from London to The Retreat, the conduct of staff, his working contribution and a reflective walk to look at the house that his mother lived and worked as a cook for the Tuke family. Illustrations by Reg Sidebottom.

Click here for a pdf of ‘The Walk of Alfred’.

Or listen here to an audio version. 

Alfred’s diary is available at Borthwick Institute for Archives, and online at the Welcome Collection.

The ’Walk of Alfred’ was created as part of ‘Stories of Mental Health from York: Past, Present, and Future’, funded by ‘Mentally Fit York’ at the Borthwick Institute for Archives 2025.

An art and archive exhibition to celebrate World Mental Health Day 2025.

The Retreat helped reform mental health care in the 1800s but the voices of those who lived and were treated there are rarely heard.

For World Mental Health Day 2025, this art and archive exhibition gives life to their words, memories and creativity back on site:

Alfred Smith’s diary (1877) – recording his many walks around York, each beginning “took a walk”.

Minnie Harrison’s unsent letters (1885) – including a small token inscribed “come to the point.”

James Newby’s poems (1860s) – “Once on a Time a Paper Kite” and “What Might Have Been an Aching Void.”

Join us to explore these hidden stories through art, words and history. There will be an opportunity to create and make art inspired by materials from The Borthwick Institute for Archives.

The event will be held in the former Recreational Room at The Retreat in collaboration with PJ Livesey Holdings Ltd who are now custodians of the site.

Book a place on Eventbrite here.

For more information contact Griselda [griselda.goldsbrough@gmail.com], or Stephen [hiya@stephenleehodgkins.net].

‘The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride’ was created as part of ‘Shout, Grow, Mend: Stories of disability’ on Saturday 7 June 2025 at  Explore York.  A Playback Theatre performance by Next Door But One that encouraged attendees to share their own stories from 2025 connected to York’s history of disability. 

‘The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride’ is based on the various yards and labels found on the representation of York Union Workhouse on a 1852 large scale map of York by Captain Tucker R.E. for the Ordnance Map Office. This includes the ‘idiots day room’, ‘female lunatics yard’ and the ‘unmarried women’s yard’. 

‘The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride’ is represents stories shared by disabled people at the performance and is a hope for the future where disability, or as one person suggested ‘being wonderfully outside the range’  is unconditionally included, celebrated and embraced.

 

This piece reflects the research findings from interviews with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) across the South West of England. This was carried out by ‘We Are The People’, a small research team of disabled academics and non-disabled allies engaged in disability research and disability activism at Bath Spa University. They asked disabled people about their experiences of using DPOs in both quantitative and qualitative ways. . The mural represents extracts of the qualitative data. The included words are designed to showcase the breadth of disabled people’s experiences and can be read in different ways.  

 

Created in December 2024 using doodles and letterpress type on an old adana 8×5 desktop printmaking machine. To find out more about this research project, visit the We Are The People webpage.

 

 

 

 

 

Working together, compassionate care, improving wellbeing for all to share. 

The NHS is dear to all our hearts, minds, and in-growing toenails. It’s a national treasure that represents the very best of our caring intentions.  From cradle to grave, we desire the very best of health for ourselves, our loved ones and indeed all others too.

Also much more than just health, the NHS is a significant part of the economy, with a huge workforce of staff and volunteers that work tirelessly and are committed to the vision.  It innovates science, technology and pushes forward our knowledge to better our everyday human healing practice. 

Created to tackle pain, suffering and health inequalities on an humungous scale, the NHS is phenomenal in its achievements in the past 75 years.  And while we celebrate the success, we also recognise the challenge. The universal right to health and life is an ongoing ever changing thing, with an equal share of up’s and down’s.

So to praise the many things that the NHS is, the Arts Team have worked with local artist Stephen Lee Hodgkins and staff to create  ‘The Fortunes of the NHS’. A pack of playing cards, with 5 ways to play that celebrate the NHS and all the wonderful people and places that make it happen.  Made with good people of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Trust as part of ‘Our National Health Stories’ these cards are full of hope and imagination. 

‘The Fortunes of the NHS’ are a playful tool to help us talk about our health, think about the future of healthcare and pass the time together with a bit of fun.  They can be played as a quick and simple game of ‘pairs’, or like that of ‘rummy’. They can be used as storytelling prompts for creative exercises to tell tales that break the ice, help develop passionate and persuasive presentations, or in activities that plan for the future, understand the now and reflect on the past.

The Arts Team and Stephen will be giving demonstrations around the Trust and leading patient and staff workshops with the cards.  The Arts team, supported by the Friends of York Hospital will be giving away limited edition packs of  ‘The Fortunes of the NHS’ cards.  Stephen designed the cards, which contain 32 doodles and positive quotes reflecting everyday things and happenings in and around the Trust. So if you would like a pack, or for us to come along to play a game with you in your workplace to support staff, visitor and patient wellbeing, or do a workshop with your people and team please do get in touch.   

As the card ‘The Break’ reads;

‘Thank you for all that you do, breath out, relax’.

A Disability Arts and Archive Showcase. Fri 12^th, Sat 13^th, Sun 14^th July 2024, then til December displayed in various locations around the Explore York Library and Archive. York Explore Library and Archive, Library Square, Museum St, York YO1 7DS.

Come discover histories of disabled people at York Union Workhouse in the Victorian times. Explore current issues with local Disability Artists and the Mother Carer.  Question what has changed, or not and imagine with us a brighter, inclusive future.

This exhibition creatively presents some ‘irregularities’ reported at York Union Workhouse in 1899, as well as other, ‘current’ issues for disabled people and their families.  Read here the newspaper article that inspired us.

See the full exhibition here – sidbaility.net

Summary illustration doodle for ‘A Fairer Future for York’ June 2024. 

‘York has a long and rich history. It boasts an impressive offering of culture, heritage, and hospitality as well as a high quality of life for many of its residents. However, its wealth, resources, and quality of life are not shared equally by all and if things continue as they are, this gap is only going to widen. Yet it’s not impossible to change course, set our collective sights on something better, a Fairer Future for York.’ Extract from ‘A Fairer Future for York – 2024’ – download the full report here.