An exhibition of photographs, costumes and clothing focussing on the social activities of the Panacea Society from 1927 - 1932.
Members of the Panacea Society believed that Bedford was the centre of the world and built on the site of the Garden of Eden. In the first half of the 20th century people moving to Bedford to join the Society purchased over twenty handsome Victorian and Edwardian houses close to the town centre. Many of them became community homes where believers could live but the largest and most central properties were set aside for the Societies activities. Their gardens were combined to create a hidden paradise which included a private chapel and the home of the group’s unconventional leader, a middle aged widow, who claimed Victorian values and good manners, along with the contents of a sealed box of 18th century prophecies, were the secret of eternal life.
Considering the believers unique perspective of Bedford it’s no wonder members of the Society felt the parties and plays held in their community gardens were of great significance.
