The word, 'bedlam' in English is used to describe a scene of absolute uproar, chaos and confusion, usually linked with madness. It comes from a corruption of the word, 'Bethlehem', for the Bethlehem Hospital in London was known as far back as the fifteenth century as an asylum for incarceration of the insane. Its successor today is the Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital in Bromley and claims to be Europe's first and oldest hospital for the treatment of the insane. Thankfully, over the centuries this 'treatment' has become the caring management of the NHS rather than the manacles and restraints which characterised its early days.
Cycling along one of the back lanes in my area of Kent I came across his modern house of striking design.
And the owner has called the house, 'Bedlam.'
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| The Gates of Bedlam – a private house in Kent. |
It was the gates of Bedlam which first caught my attention.
They are sculpted in metal but imitate an organic growth of trees and branches.
However, despite the name of the property, I could not imagine a more tranquil spot.
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