Oriel

Oriel is a joint initiative between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity. Together, we will relocate all services at Moorfields Eye Hospital on City Road and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology on Bath Street, to a new, integrated facility on part of the St Pancras Hospital site.

Sight loss is an increasing problem. By 2050 it’s estimated that four million people will be living with sight loss in the UK. Innovation and technology offer new possibilities for treatments and cures, but we need the right facilities.

Oriel will create an environment for innovation to flourish, inspiring improvements in people’s sight. The new facility will be flexible and modern, enabling us to bring together healthcare, eye research and education for the first time.

Harnessing all our expertise under one roof in a new fit-for-purpose centre will enable closer collaboration between clinicians and researchers to speed up the delivery of treatments and therapies for patients – ultimately helping us work together to discover, develop and deliver the best eye care sustainably and at scale.

Construction has started and we plan to open the centre in 2027. Visit our dedicated Oriel website to learn more.

Oriel breaks ground

On 11 July 2023 we hosted a breaking ground ceremony on the Oriel site to officially mark the start of construction. Read our news story on breaking ground.

Prior to breaking ground, six buildings on the Oriel site were demolished. The foundations for our 10-storey, 47,000 sq. m, centre are now being laid. The new centre will be located in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter, an internationally renowned hub for science and innovation.

View timelapse footage of the demolition. 

Oriel timeline

 A jpeg version of this timeline can be downloaded here.