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Mysterious-Banana313 t1_j3nrnol wrote

Is it true people used to go to asylums and laugh at the residents, as a form of family entertainment?

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jezreelite t1_j3tk5s4 wrote

Yes. The famous Bedlam House in London was opened to the public at some in the late 16th or early 17th century as a method of funding it. Public tours of Bedlam only ended in 1770.

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storiesofbritainpod t1_j3yocig wrote

Yes. For centuries prisons and "lunatic asylums" had paying public visitors. I am just writing about Newgate Prison, and the warders funded themselves partly by charging visitors.

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