Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Bedlam
The name of both the Bethlehem Hospital and the surrounding area; the hospital was just north of modern Liverpool St., and by Pepys’ day it had been a hospital for the insane for centuries. (“Down to the late 18th century it was common for the public to visit it to gape at the inmates.”) The buildings were so decayed by the 1660s that they were demolished and a new hospital built in 1675-76 just north of London Wall (between modern Blomfield St. and Finsbury Pavement).
(Adapted from the Companion.)
Rake’s famous engraving of Bedlam
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/exhibits/quest/images/bedlam.jpg
A little about the hospital
The official blue plaque marking the site of the old Bethlem hospital is on the Liverpool street side of Great Eastern Hotel, to the south of Liverpool Street Station, here: http://uk.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=51.5175&lon=-0.0816&scale=5000&icon=x
The later hospital rebuilt after the great fire formed the southern edge of Moorfields, now Finsbury Circus, seen quite clearly here:
http://www.motco.com/map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFullb.asp?mode=query&artist=384&other=296&x=11&y=11
