The Foundling Museum
United Kingdom
The Foundling Museum tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, established in the 18th century to care for babies at risk of abandonment and which housed around 25,000 children before its closure.
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Orientation
Welcome to The Foundling Museum, situated in the historic neighborhood of Bloomsbury. This is a place of profound emotional resonance, often described as 'the saddest museum in London,' yet it is also a story of extraordinary…
Listen in the app2Captain Thomas Corum: The Visionary Shipbuilder
We start our tour with the man whose 'darling idea' transformed London’s social landscape. Captain Thomas Corum was not a captain in the naval sense, but a shipbuilder who spent years at sea and lived in America before returning…
Listen in the app3The Tokens: Heartbreaking Signs of Hope
Perhaps the most moving part of the museum is the display of 'tokens.' When mothers brought their babies to the hospital, they had to relinquish them, often forever. Their names were changed—stripped of their identity within…
Listen in the app4The Courtroom: Rococo Splendor for Charity
We now enter the Courtroom, which is considered one of the 'finest Rococo interiors in London.' This room was salvaged from the original 1740s building and meticulously reconstructed here. It was the heart of the hospital’s…
Listen in the app5George Frideric Handel and the Messiah
The third pillar of the Foundling Hospital’s success, alongside Corum and Hogarth, was the composer George Frideric Handel. Handel was a 'steadfast supporter' who donated an organ to the chapel and wrote the 'Foundling Hospital…
Listen in the app6Life in the Hospital: Education and Discipline
What was life actually like for the 25,000 children who grew up here? Upon admission, babies were sent to 'wet nurses' in the countryside until the age of five. …
Listen in the app7Contemporary Art and Future Stories
The Foundling Museum is a living institution that continues to work with artists to surface aspects of the story that are 'hidden or absent.' Our biennial 'fellowship' includes artists like Cornelia Parker, Grayson Perry, and…
Listen in the app8Closing
As we conclude our tour of The Foundling Museum, we stand at the threshold of a place that is simultaneously a 'house of stories' and a 'home of creative action.' We have moved from the 'saddest displays' of tiny tokens and…
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What is The Foundling Museum?
The Foundling Museum is a place in United Kingdom with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 8 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 51.5253, -0.1217 |
| Last updated |
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