This in-person workshop will explore the relationship between heritage, the histories of mental health and wellbeing, and contemporary healthcare provision through the lens of Warneford 200, a live project commemorating the bicentenary of mental health services in Oxford in 2026.
Ever since its establishment as a charitable asylum in July 1826, through its reincarnation as an NHS hospital in 1948 and becoming the home of Oxford University’s Psychiatry Department in 1969, the Warneford Hospital has been supporting the Oxfordshire community’s mental health.
Next year, the bicentenary of the Warneford’s foundation will be marked by an exhibition led by the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford Health Charity. The exhibition will belong to a wider programme of county-wide heritage and arts events, created with direct involvement from those who use mental health services.
In this session, participants will learn more about the bicentenary celebrations in relation to the following themes:
- The role of oral histories and archival research for telling the histories of mental health and informing contemporary practice
- The therapeutic qualities of the arts and heritage
- Participatory approaches to health histories and heritage
Content warning: Please note that this session will explore themes of mental health and wellbeing from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
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