18. The Apple House
The Apple House was probably built in the 1830s. The original purpose of the building was for the storage of apples harvested from the Warneford’s orchards. It was fitted out with wooden shelving for the purpose.
Gerda Wilson, a speech and language therapist working at the Warneford from 1966 to 1998 (sponsored by Dr Seymour Spencer, one of the hospital’s consultants) campaigned for the Apple House to become a “homely” base for treating people who stammered. The upper floor of the building is named in Wilson’s honour. The Oxford Stammer Programme began using the repurposed building for speech therapy courses in 1973. Children with speech impediments have been treated there since 1990 and the Apple House is still used for speech therapy today.
Behind the Apple House you can see Allen Ward, an acute adult ward for women, that has been named after Dr Thomas Allen, medical superintendent of the Warneford from 1853 to 1872.
Image: Early 20C photograph of the Apple House + the internal shelving photographed in the 1970s (see Insall Assocs booklet p.28 – not in file of photos but NHS ownership indicated)
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19. The Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
The Oxford University Dept. of Psychiatry has been based at the Warneford site since 1969, following the appointment of Michael Gelder as the first professor. Professor Gelder had his office in the main building, and “temporary buildings” (still in use today) opposite the May Davidson Building were used for other academic staff.
A new building to house the growing department was constructed in 1978/9, designed by Architects Design Partnership. In 1986, the former Isolation Hospital (and subsequent Psychotherapy Unit) was extended to become part of the Department of Psychiatry.
The Department of Psychiatry’s mission is to conduct world-class research, teach psychiatry to medical students, develop future researchers, teach doctors in training, promote excellence in clinical practice, and develop and provide innovative clinical services. It has played a central role in shaping modern mental health care since its inception – developing cognitive behavioural therapies now used globally, to newer advances in digital treatments, including for eating disorders and child anxiety. Recent studies have included investigating how vaccines can reduce the risk of dementia and a trial showing that the Parkinson’s drug Pramipexole reduced the symptoms of persistent depression.
The Department of Psychiatry has 286 members of staff from 33 countries around the world, around two thirds of whom are research staff. It also supports 123 students, including 98 research students (DPhil or MSC by research), and 25 on the taught MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience course.
Images: Prof Gelder & John Hall from the 1980s + Members of the Department of Psychiatry in 2026 (credit: Morten Kringelbach)
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