Preswich Hospital was opened in 1851 as an asylum for 500 patients. The site was developed over the years and it became the largest mental institution in Europe with a population of 3,000.

The hospital, sometimes known as the Lancashire Mental Hospital, was designed to be self-sufficent and had a farm, brewery, bakery and gasworks. Patients came from all walks of life and suffered from a great range of mental illnesses. This exhibition explores the history of the hospital and the experiences of its patients.