The Foundling Hospital on Brunswick Square was opened in 1739 for the purpose of caring for babies who would otherwise be abandoned, due to the abject poverty many mothers found themselves in at the time. The first hospital and charity of its kind in the UK, it has now been transformed into a museum, it holds collections that tell the history of the hospital, displaying items like the uniforms worn by staff, illustrations by Hogarth, and its original 18th century furnishings. There are also regular exhibitions, talks and workshops. The work established by the hospital continues as the charity Coram.
