Working on the Warneford 200 project – Kelly Collins
It’s been fascinating learning about the history of the Warneford Hospital through the lens of the local and national newspapers. I was struck by how much effort the committee devoted not only to fundraising but also to raising the hospital’s public profile. I had always thought of PR as a relatively modern practice, yet throughout the 1800s the asylum committee used it with real skill. Most articles or advertisements promoting the hospital included lists of major benefactors, along with the amounts donated or gifts such as furniture and linen when the hospital was first established.
One of the most striking aspects was the shift in language used to describe the hospital and its patients over time. I was often surprised by the lack of privacy afforded to people involved in tragic events such as fatal attacks or suicides. Articles frequently included names, addresses, occupations, and even statements from neighbours, seemingly to add sensational detail. As late as the 1970s, newspapers printed extracts from suicide notes. Many of these stories, particularly those involving Oxford students, appeared both locally and nationally.
The newspapers also offered glimpses into daily life at the Warneford. Staff recruitment adverts described the facilities available and the different roles for men and women. Local notices ranged from missing heifers and wanted choirboys, to horticultural prizes for roses and vegetables grown on site. Sporting life featured regularly too, with monthly reports on the Warneford’s football and cricket matches, clearly an important part of the community.
It’s been a thoroughly absorbing project to be involved with, and I know I won’t walk past the Warneford in quite the same way again.
