The first of the Maggie's Centres for the care of those with cancer and support of their families opened in the grounds of Edinburgh's Western General Hospital in 1996. Named after Maggie Keswick Jencks (1941-95), who believed in the ability of buildings to uplift people and had the vision for a charity which provided help and ongoing support for those having been diagnosed with cancer. It was during her own treatment for breast cancer that Jencks picked out an old stable block behind the hospital as the ideal location for a support and information centre. The conversion was the work of local architect Richard Murphy, noted for his creative use of space and light. The building was a runner-up for the prestigious Stirling Prize of the Royal Institution of British Architects in 1997. Murphy returned in 1999 to extend the building.
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