CURRENT TEMPORARY DISPLAYS
outside the asylum (august 2025 to august 2026)
The Outside the Asylum project has been possible thanks to public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Thanks to a successful funding bid we were able to work with History PhD student Maddie Hale to find artefacts hidden in our collection, and research the lives of former patients of the Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Researching family histories and newspapers has enabled us to view these people as more than just patients of an asylum, and for some has explained why they were patients in the first place. Visit the George Marshall Medical Museum to see the ‘Outside the Asylum’ display until August 2026. Find out more about the patients’ stories and artefacts here.
Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses’ League and crested crockery (from august 2025)
In the Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses’ League cabinet just outside the museum, there is a small display of crested crockery once used by both nurses and patients at the former Worcester Royal Infirmary from 1948.
the league of friends (from september 2025)
A display of commemorative artefacts relating to the history of the hospital league of friends. The League was originally set up to help to raise funds for the former Worcester Royal Infirmary, which at the time included the branch hospitals at Castle Street, Ronkswood and Snow Hill in Worcester before the opening of the Worcestershire Royal Hospital in 2002. Funds were usually raised for something specific, and for the benefit of the patients and visitors, for example a piece of medical or surgical equipment or a bench for visitors to sit on. The artefacts on display are largely from the collection of Mrs Doris Kershaw (1926-2025) the former Chair of the League of Friends, who, among other things managed the Castle Street branch’s buffet. The scarf and shield are part of Mr. George Marshall’s collection.
current online displays
COVID STORIES (online)
To ensure that the sacrifices and hardships of the people of Worcestershire are not forgotten, the George Marshall Medical Museum has created a unique new pandemic collection. In addition to the artefacts that have become emblematic of our times, the experiences and emotions of staff and patients at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have been added to the museum’s extensive oral history archive.
Now from these recordings and additional interviews, Applied Drama students at the University of Worcester have created short scenes revealing hidden stories of the County’s response to the pandemic so far.
eye contact: jewel of the body (online)
An online exhibition of masked portraits by Jo Keeley of staff at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
YOU MISSED IT!
A snapshot of former temporary displays at the George Marshall Medical Museum.
power of play
Play is essential for healthy child development. Does our childhood and play (and the toys we play with) help to choose our future career paths? A small display of toys relating to health and medicine.
DISCOVERING DISABILITY
Find out about objects relating to disability and invisible illness.
Find a gallery of online artefacts here: discovering disability. Funded by the Heritage Lottery through Arts Council England.
I see you: the power of being seen
A collective quilt by parent carers of children with non-visible disabilities. Lead Artist: Lois Blackburn
The quilt is a patchwork of truth, tenderness, and resilience. Created by parent carers, it tells stories often left untold – of love, loss, advocacy, and strength. Through stitching and conversation, they found space to reclaim themselves and feel seen. Brought together with care and vision by artist Lois Blackburn each contribution forms part of a wider story – one of visibility, connection, and the power of art to hold what words cannot. To every parent carer: we see you. This is for you.
See the dedicated webpage here: https://loisblackburnartist.uk/portfolio/i-see-you/
forget-me-not, corinne
This year is my 6th year of bed confinement. These self portraits are a therapy to ease my struggles with mental illness and physical disabilities. Bed confinement is isolating and I’m afraid of being forgotten about. Please don’t forget people like me who were confined to our homes and beds long before Lockdown and still are. Deepest thanks to Turf Projects, SANE and my lovely KO-FI supporters for making these works possible.
ART AND ANATOMY - by Nahm Chongraks
Come along to George Marshall Medical Museum and see our new display about the relationship between art and anatomy, with special reference to the development of illustrations of anatomy within reference books. Nahm (Kanruthai) Chongraks worked with us for 8 weeks over summer 2023 as part of her University of Leicester Museum Studies Masters course, and curated this display herself.
You can also read all about her process to creating the display here in one of her blogs: GUEST POST BY MUSEUM STUDIES MASTERS STUDENT - NAHM (2/3) — Worcester Medical Museums.
Evesham hospital - surgery and cryosurgery
A new display curated by volunteers showcasing a recent donation of objects by Theatres at Evesham Hospital.
Download the guide here: Guide Download.
corinne (they/them): sorrow A Bedtime Story series C-type photographic self-portrait prints (2022)
Corinne is a disabled queer artist creating photographic depictions from the same 2 by 1.5m space: their bed. Their self portraits are a form of therapy to ease their struggles with mental illness. The current works, on display in the temporary exhibition case outside the George Marshall Medical Museum, were produced during their period in response to “Sorrow”, a drawing on paper by Vincent Van Gogh, part of the New Art Gallery Walsall’s Garman Ryan Collection. Displayed are limited edition prints of the artist’s proofs, two of which temporarily replace Van Gogh’s ‘Sorrow’ at The New Art Gallery Walsall as part of their Here & Queer trail.
corinne’s a bed-time story
An exhibition of photography by Corinne, a Worcester based self-portrait artist, creating photographs depicting their ongoing struggles with mental illness. Their fear of Covid-19 has had a debilitating effect on their already fragile health, leaving them bed bound.
"My work’s created within the same 2 by 1.5 metre space; my bed, the only place I feel safe enough to create."
You will find this display in one of the George Marshall Medical Museum’s large cases in the corridor just outside the entrance to the Museum.
Find Corinne on Instagram @corinnesdiary
Find Corinne on Outside In. Click here.
helen birnbaum 100 hands
Helen Birnbaum visited us for her second installation at the George Marshall Medical Museum. While we were closed for works to be carried out in the museum, our two temporary display cabinets in the corridor just outside the doors to the museum now hold Helen’s most recent work, including “100 Hands”, made to commemorate those we are unable to touch during quarantine and those we have lost forever. It was first installed outside St. Mary’s Church, Skelmersdale. Find it online here.
the power of plants: cinchona
For 2020 the George Marshall Medical Museum focussed on the incredible power of plants to heal us. The very first humans are thought to have used herbal medicine, probably copying the self-medicating behaviour of monkeys and great apes. In the intervening millenia about one in six plant species have been used as medicine. That’s 50,000 species! Today, some 80% people still use plants as their main source of medicine. You can now see some of this online here
helen birnbaum: quarantine boxes & influenza
From 6 November 2019 to 23 January 2020 we displayed the work of Helen Birnbaum. Helen's sculpture is finding its place in a new artistic environment that explores and supports science-themed art. She makes stories in clay, the most ancient of materials and, by exploring modern images and enduring mythologies, attempts to reveal aspects of our lives today. She challenges our perception of the world by stimulating our imagination and providing new insights.She has exhibited at the World Museum Liverpool, the Gordon Museum at Guy’s Hospital, Warrington Museum and at STEAM Wigan. In 2018 she won the Morley Gallery Ceramic Prize judged by the Assistant Curator of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Check out her blog here:https://memorialisingdisease.wordpress.com
SPANISH INFLUENZA
One hundred years ago, the 1918 influenza pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe, affecting the health of about one-fifth of the world’s population. It caused the deaths of approximately 50-100 million people worldwide; more than the estimated 16 million lives claimed by the First World War. The first wave of ‘flu appeared in the spring of 1918, followed by a more virulent second wave in the autumn, and a third wave in the spring of 1919. In total, it is estimated that the epidemic claimed around a quarter of a million lives in Britain. Approximately 1663 of these deaths were from the Worcestershire area. Whilst media attention and history books have focused on the victorious end to the War the tragedy of the Spanish ‘Flu has been wiped from our collective memory.
Visit until end December 2020 to view our exhibition about the Spanish ‘flu, supported by touring panels from the Florence Nightingale Museum.
Click here to find out more of our Spanish ‘flu related activities.
To purchase your copy of Bovril, Whisky and Gravediggers, telephone us on 01905 760738.
THE ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
In 2018 we displayed objects and ephemera relating to the history of the Royal Army Medical Corps, which celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2018. With the help of one of our own volunteers, the display told the story of Dr. Albert Ivor Morrison, and showcased some of his objects and photographs alongside the museum’s own collection.
THE NHS AT 70
Click on the following links to download the display panels produced for the display at George Marshall Medical Museum: Panel 1 Panel 2 Panel 3
All displayed items have now been returned to store but you can still have your say about your NHS memory by downloading and returning the following form:- Click here to download.
“I believe it will lift the shadow from millions of homes. It will keep many people alive who might otherwise be dead. It will relieve suffering. It will produce higher standards for the medical profession. It will be a great contribution to the wellbeing of the common people of Great Britain.”
florence nightingale and the worcester infirmary
Sadly, you have now missed your chance to see rare plans from the archives and the George Marshall Medical Museum's copy of Florence Nightingale's Notes on Hospitals. The display about Florence Nightingale's impact on nursing and hospital design (and the changes which could have been implemented at Worcester Infirmary) has now been taken down. However, it was so popular, we have uploaded the exhibition interpretation for you, created by Volunteer Emily Cheetham: Panel 1 Panel 2 Panel 3.
The Mann, The Artist, The Pharmacist, until November 2018
Click on this image to be taken to our online pages, specially created for this temporary exhibition.
Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses' League, until December 2018
Curated by two of our volunteers (one an Associate Member of the Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses' League), we held a display about the League, including photographs of members, past and present, and information about the important fund-raising activities of its members.