North Wing transformation wins national heritage award
The restoration of a historic part of St Bartholomew’s Hospital has won a national award recognising excellence in heritage conservation.
The Grade I-listed North Wing, which dates back to 1732, won the RICS Heritage Award at the 2026 RICS Grand Final. The project was delivered by Barts Heritage, with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The building includes the Great Hall and Hogarth Stair, featuring two celebrated paintings by artist William Hogarth, The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan.
The restoration involved specialist craftspeople repairing the building’s roof, stonework, railings and more than 160 sash windows. Experts also conserved the paintings, decorative plasterwork and historic boards recording donations to the hospital.
The project has opened the North Wing to the public for the first time in nearly 300 years, creating a new space for heritage, arts and wellbeing in the heart of the City of London.
A programme of cultural events and activities is helping staff, patients, visitors and the wider community connect with the building’s history.
Will Palin, chief executive of Barts Heritage, said: “An amazing achievement for the team given the strength of the shortlist. Massive thanks and congratulations to our project team.”
The award recognises the project’s conservation work and its approach to making an important historic building accessible to the public while protecting it for future generations.
The North Wing is open between 10am-4pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, on the first Sunday of each month and Bank Holiday Mondays.
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