In this paper, a novel bearingless switched reluctance motor (BLSRM) with hybrid stator poles is proposed. The structure and operating principle are presented. In order to describe the design methodology clearly, analytical torque and radial force models are established. Further, basic design procedure is described. The numbers of phases and poles have important influence on the selection of structure. These effects, along with sizing of machine envelope and internal dimensions, make the machine design an insight-intensive effort. Effect of pole arcs and air-gap length on the production of torque and radial force are analyzed in detail. Mechanical design factors such as hoop stress and first critical speed are also considered. Based on the above analysis, the characteristics of the proposed BLSRM are analyzed. A prototype motor is designed and manufactured. The validity of the proposed structure is verified by the experimental results.