Warneford 200: Mental Health Through the Ages
With plans for the future of the Warneford Hospital site under consideration, this year also marks 200 years since the hospital opened in Headington.
Two centuries of care, compassion, and change at Oxford’s Warneford Hospital, pictured here in 1832.
To commemorate its bicentenary, Oxford Health Charity and partners have organised a year-long programme of events supported by a £156,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Events include a touring exhibition, the opening of a new therapy garden constructed in the Warneford grounds, theatre performances, workshops and talks for the public.
Since its opening in July 1826, the Warneford has been a working hospital at the heart of mental health care. The bicentenary is not just a moment to reflect on the past, it’s a chance to uncover and share untold stories from patients, staff and the wider community and explore how mental health care has evolved in Oxfordshire over two centuries.
Find out how mental health care has changed since Oxford’s Warneford Hospital opened in 1826 in a special feature by BBC Radio Oxford.
Explore 200 years of mental health history: Museum of Oxford exhibition
A special exhibition tracing the story of mental health care at the Warneford Hospital in Headington has launched at the Museum of Oxford’s ‘Old Cloakroom’.
Presented by Oxford Health Charity and curated by the University of Oxford’s History of Science Museum, the exhibition will run until 21 March and is free to enter. It will then be followed by a further six exhibitions in venues across Oxfordshire throughout the year.
Visitors will be able to listen to first-hand accounts from people who have worked or stayed at the Warneford, or used its services, as well as look at photos and drawings of the hospital from the past.
Artefacts relating to the treatment and care of patients over the past 200 years, such as admission records and case books, will also be on display, giving visitors the opportunity to learn how the hospital has grown and developed to become one of the leading research centres into mental health in the country.
At the end of March, the exhibition moves to Headington, before touring Wantage, Woodstock, Banbury, Didcot and Abingdon.
New Warneford 200 website launched
A new website has been launched for the Warneford 200 project: https://warneford200.co.uk/
The website features details of events taking place throughout the year and an online exhibition, which includes a specially-commissioned film illustrating how attitudes to mental illness have changed over time. You can also share your memories of Warneford Hospital.
New content will continue to be added and visitors are welcome to sign up to receive latest news and updates.
Published: 21 January 2026
Last reviewed: 23 January, 2026