The Foundling Museum
Discover the rich history of children's charity Coram at the Foundling Museum, which tells the story of how Coram began in 1739 as the Foundling Hospital, London's first home for abandoned children.
The Foundling Museum charts the work of Sir Thomas Coram who tirelessly campaigned to set up an institution dedicated to the care and education of 'foundlings', the illegitimate children he saw abandoned on London's streets.
Hear the moving stories of the children cared for in the Foundling Hospital between 1739-1954, with original letters and tokens of love left by mothers with their children as a means of identification
The Foundling Hospital was the first public art gallery in Britain. Today, the Foundling Museum exhibits an art collection donated by famous patrons, including The Foundling Collection by William Hogarth. The Gerald Coke Handel Collection, the largest privately held collection of Handel material and a major international research collection, includes his will and conducting score of Messiah, performed in aid of the Foundling Hospital in 1750.
The Foundling Museum inspired a poetry anthology in 2012, Tokens for the Foundlings, with verse about orphans, childhood and family. The book includes poems from writers such as Tony Curtis, Carol Ann Duffy and Seamus Heaney, and commemorates Coram and the Foundling Hospital's rich history.
Discover the birthplace of Britain’s children’s charity movement, be inspired by the stories of its children, and enjoy the artistry of its two greatest patrons: visit The Foundling Museum today.
Foundling Museum Website
Coram's Birth Records Service. Find out more...
Find out more...
The Foundling Museum
40 Brunswick Square
London WC1N 1AZ
020 7841 3600
enquiries@foundlingmuseum.org.uk
Opening hours:
Tues–Sat 10am–5pm
Sun 11am – 5pm
CLOSED ON MONDAYS
Admission £7.50
Concessions £5
Children free
>
>