The marble statue of the Reverend Dr Samuel Wilson Warneford (1763-1855), Rector of Bourton-on-the-Hill in Gloucestershire, dominates the reception area of the Warneford Hospital. It was carved in 1849 by Peter Hollins, a leading Birmingham-based sculptor, and was exhibited at the Royal Academy before being moved to the Warneford. Its prominence acts as a reminder that it was largely thanks to Samuel Warneford that the hospital exists. During his lifetime, Samuel Warneford donated an estimated total of £70,000 to the hospital, a sum that roughly equates to £10 million today.
The Radcliffe Asylum was renamed the Warneford Asylum in 1843 in recognition of his beneficence. Warneford’s statue was originally commissioned to be placed in the Chapel, but it was moved to the newly-built entrance hall of the hospital in 1877.
Image: portrait of Samuel Warneford
