The building site is in the centre of London, adjacent to the large courtyard of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. Founded in Smithfield in the 12th century, the hospital is the oldest in London and was started at the same time as the St. Bartholomew the Great Church. Layers of history characterize this unique site, connecting deeply to the Medieval culture of London.
While most all of the realized Maggie’s Centres have been horizontal buildings, the centre at St Bartholomew's is more vertical, sitting on the historically charged site. It replaces a pragmatic 1960s brick structure adjacent to a 17th century stone structure by James Gibbs, holding the “Great Hall” and the famous Hogarth staircase.