The Highfield Cafe is an assisted service area, providing hot food, sandwiches, pastries, snacks and homemade soups.

Newspapers, magazines and a limited selection of chocolates and gifts are also on sale. Payment for all transactions is by cash.

During the last five years, more than 200 trees were planted in the grounds of St Luke's Hospital. These include hornbeam, birch, lime and chestnut; also ornamental trees including Japanese maple, magnolia, cercis, judas, gingko and tulip trees.

Regular maintenance work is carried out on the mature trees around the grounds to protect them from strong winds in winter and preserve them for future generations.

Some of the more unusual trees on the grounds include Canadian Redwoood, Weeping Judas, Tulip, Red Flowering Chestnut, Lebanese Cedar, Atlantic Cedar, Copper Beech and old varieties of flowering cherry and pear trees.

Along with these, the woodland area has an excellent selection of mature chestnut, lime, Scots pine and beech trees. The leaves and prunings from the trees are all composted on site and used as mulch and compost around the grounds.

Visitors or outpatients are welcome to use the restaurant for meals at lunchtime.

To accommodate staff, we restrict lunch time serving for visitors and outpatients - from 1.30pm to 2.00pm. For an evening meal in the restaurant, you must order it from a member of the catering staff before 4.00pm.

St. Luke's Hospital stands on a 20 acre site on the old Oakland Estate. While much of the site has been developed over the years, great care has been taken to preserve and enhance the grounds.

Colourful planting, water features, woodland areas and secluded gardens dotted through the sweeping lawns make St Luke???s one of the finest hospital grounds in the country.

Restoration work began on the large pond area in 2008. This area was originally part of a large bog garden at the back of the main house.

During the restoration work, the old water feed pipes and drainage system were uncovered. Most of the stone work is as it was in the old days when the house was in private hands.

Water and bog plants are currently being introduced to give cover to the ducks that nest there in spring and to restore the area to its former glory.

Some of the trees in this area are very old and unusual. They include a large Japanese maple, a walnut, a purple plum and a cercis oak which would have been planted in the original garden in the 1920s.

The metal arches and gazebo while not original are typical of that period.

The water pond and walkway were built in 2006 to enhance the views from the back of Oakland Lodge. Winding through the mature beech and ash trees, a path circles the garden and offers several seating areas where you can take in the garden's peace and tranquillity.

A patio area with seating was added recently and is a popular spot on sunny days.

A recreational patients' library service was set up in 1996 and operates in the form of a trolley service to the wards on Tuesdays starting at 10.30am. There is a selection of fiction and non-fiction books in print and audio format available for loan.