With your back to the hospital entrance, you can see the sweeping driveway and the original trees planted when the hospital was being constructed in 1823 with the specific purpose of “beautifying the grounds”. The front lawn is now hosting the Warneford 200 Therapy Garden, designed by Laura McCarthy, of the Oxford Health Arts Partnership. The garden draws on influences from throughout the hospital’s 200-year history. You will return to the Therapy Garden at the end of the tour.
You can see the original perimeter wall (built in 1832 by Oxford builder Peter Hope) which was designed with patient safety in mind – to keep curious visitors out, rather than to keep patients in. Viewing banks allowed patients to see over the walls, and to enjoy views of the countryside beyond, without being seen by passers-by.
Image: invoice from suppliers of the trees, dated 1823
