Theatre; Bethlem Royal Hospital; London; 1926. This hospital is the oldest institution for the care and confinement of the mentally ill in England; and one of the oldest in Europe. It was a priory in 1247; and c1400 the building was converted to its later usage. The hospital moved in 1675; in 1815; and to its present location near Croydon in 1930. The word bedlam; which is derived from the hospitals name; has long been applied to any place or scene of wild turmoil and confusion. Presently; Bethlem Royal Hospital is connected with the University of Londons Institute of Psychiatry; and is part of the Maudsley Hospital