The path opens up onto a beech tree-lined lane, with the original boundary wall on your right and a raised bank on your left. This beautiful walkway must have been a favourite with patients and staff in the past, just as it is today. The raised bank is a “ha-ha” – it enabled patients standing on top of it to see over the boundary wall and take in the view of the countryside beyond. You can climb the bank and see for yourself (please take care!) although the view today is of houses and gardens! The ha-ha features in the book of the same name by Jennifer Dawson (1929-2000), based on her experiences both as a patient and as a social worker at the Warneford Hospital in the 1950s. This critically acclaimed novel was first published in 1961 and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
The building behind the blue hoardings visible behind the ha-ha is the former Highfield Unit for Adolescents and Young People. The building has fallen into disrepair and has been replaced by a new, modern facility that you will see shortly.
Image: cover of Jennifer Dawson’s book, The Ha-Ha; photo of the tree-lined walkway (OHA)
- Publisher: Scribner (November 11, 2025)
- ISBN13: 9781668088562
