London and its Asylums, 1888-1914

Robert Ellis is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He has published widely on the histories of mental ill-health and learning disability, and has worked in partnership on a range of impact and engagement projects that have emphasized their contemporary relevance.

• Chapter 1: ‘The Mere Scope of it is Immense’. London and its Asylums in Context.- Chapter 2: The Politics of Administration.- Chapter 3: The Politics of Finance.- Chapter 4: The Politics of Innovation.- Chapter 5: The Politics of Architecture.- Chapter 6: The Politics of Difference.- Chapter 7: Conclusions.

“London and its Asylums breaks important new ground, introducing a new approach to the busy field of psychiatric history: the micropolitics of mental healthcare. By tackling the late-Victorian and Edwardian bureaucratic archive, Ellis adds a new layer to the story of a familiar institution.” (Leslie Topp, Victorian Studies, Vol. 64 (3), 2022)“Ellis makes some very interesting observations … . The book is a valuable addition to the historiography of the English asylum system and management of mental illness. The different research approach of melding the evolution of asylumdom with development of local government in Victorian and Edwardian London, results in a thought-provoking work, one that should lead to other research on the topics raised.” (Alison Pedley, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 61 (1), January, 2022)