Maggie's, Cheltenham

On this, the first of this year's Heritage Open Days, we were able to visit the relatively new Cheltenham Maggie's Centre, open from 1 to 6 today. Our hostess Rachel couldn't have been more welcoming, though she had already had 40 visitors by mid-afternoon.

I would never have imagined such an unpromising building as the old Cheltenham College pool-keeper's house being transformed into so special a place, but architect Richard MacCormac has achieved a wondrous conversion and enlargement. The garden alone is worth a visit, with its Bill Pye fountain snaking along the entrance path. Why can't all modern buildings be as beautiful?