Foundling Museum The West End

Thomas Coram established the Foundling Hospital in 1739 for children abandoned or handed over by their mothers; when it closed in 1953 it had been the home of 27,000 children. The museum in its place traces the history of the hospital and the children who lived here; particularly moving is the collection of amulets left behind by mothers for their children to remember them by. The Georgian interior also contains a wonderful art gallery. Among the paintings are works by Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds and William Hogarth, an early benefactor. Here, too, is a copy of the Messiah and other Handel memorabilia; the German-born composer helped raise funds to found the hospital.