Foundlings and post boxes: two London museums

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Foundling Museum

On our November 2022 London visit we stayed in the Holiday Inn at Bloomsbury. I was delighted to find it was within walking distance of two museums I’ve wanted to visit for a long time, the Foundling Museum and the Postal Museum.

Foundling Museum

I first heard of the Foundling Museum when I read Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin in the long-ago days when I bought children’s and young adult fiction for the library. The Foundling Hospital was started in 1739 by philanthropist Thomas Coram to rescue some of London’s thousands of abandoned babies: in its two centuries of operation it looked after around 25,000 children. It continues today as a children’s charity under the name Coram, and it and the museum are located in the grounds of the old hospital. The museum building dates from the 1930s but incorporates many architectural features from the original eighteenth-century hospital.

Thomas Coram plaque
Bust of Thomas Coram
Statue of Thomas Coram

What I didn’t know was that, as well as being the UK’s first children’s charity, the Foundling Hospital was also its first public art gallery thanks to the artist William Hogarth and the composer George Frederic Handel. Together, they transformed the Hospital into one of London’s most fashionable venues, a place where the wealthy could display their charity. Hogarth encouraged leading artists to donate their work, leading by example in 1740 when he gave his portrait of Thomas Coram to the Hospital. It thus became the first permanent location for British artists to exhibit and led to the founding of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. Handel held benefit concerts of Messiah in the Hospital’s chapel every year from 1749 until his death in 1759 raising large sums for the charity. It was also a beneficiary in his will, which can currently be seen in the museum.

I didn’t take many photos, there was a lot to take in, but a few of the portraits really caught my eye. Foundling Girl (1871) by David Watson Stevenson is really poignant. She has a very serene look on her face, but did the children actually look this well cared for and were they happy? I don’t know.

Foundling Girl by David Watson Stevenson
Foundling Girl by David Watson Stevenson

As a volunteer with two heritage organisations myself I was pleased to see the museum honouring one of their volunteers, Jocelyn. I have met the artist, Ingrid Pollard, briefly, when she did some work at the women’s library so that drew my attention too.

Jocelyn by Ingrid Pollard
Jocelyn by Ingrid Pollard

Jacqueline Wilson is another children’s author whose work I am very familiar with, or used to be. I didn’t know Hetty Feather was written specifically for the Foundling Museum.

Jacqueline Wilson by Saied Dai
Jacqueline Wilson by Saied Dai

Finally, this double portrait spoke volumes to me about the strength of female friendship and how it endures across time and space. Altogether, this was a very uplifting visit.

Pamela and Nybs by Eileen Perrier
Pamela and Nybs by Eileen Perrier

Postal Museum

I heard of the Postal Museum in 2018 when it was on the shortlist, alongside Glasgow Women’s Library and three others, for Art Fund Museum of the Year (which ultimately went to Tate St Ives). There are two parts to a visit: first you must book a ticket for your ride on Mail Rail, a small underground train which used to transport post across London. It really was small, designed for letters and parcels, not people. Then you cross the road to the museum exhibitions, passing a lovely postie mural on the way.

Mail Rail
John on Mail Rail
Postie mural

There was a huge amount of fascinating information on the history of the British postal service. Here are some highlights.

I did not know that pillar boxes were not always red. When first installed (c1852) they were green, but in the countryside some people found these dreary and hard to see so in 1874 the colour was switched to red. The example below is a Queen Victoria London Ornate – you can probably guess why it got its name. The blue box was for airmail and first appeared on London’s streets in 1930.

Queen Victoria ‘London Ornate’ pillar box, 1857-59
Airmail pillar box

We admired a variety of postal transport from different eras.

Mail coach
Morris Minor van
Dodge Hi-line post bus

And you could not expect me to miss the story of the Suffragettes who posted themselves to the Prime Minister! Or the postcard making fun of their attempt.

Post Office and politics
Suffragette postbox

I highly recommend these two small museums which take up about half a day each. They are just the right size not to be overwhelming, and yet I learned so much from both of them.

England, UK , , , ,

59 Comments »

  3. 🏛️ Exploring the Foundling and Postal Museums through your post is like taking a captivating journey through history and human connection! 💌💫 Your descriptions and insights into these museums make them come alive for your readers. Thanks for sharing your experiences and the cultural richness of these museums! 🌟📮 #MuseumExploration #CulturalHeritage #TravelAdventures 🏢🏛️👏

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  4. I’ve heard of both of these – and have walked past the Foundling museum in the past. Reading your post I think I should call in next time! But I’ve not been to London since BC and with unreliability of Avant trains I wonder whether I’ll ever get there again (although at least I live south of Preston, remembering John’s experiences!). And there are so many thing’s concentrated there that the phrase “so many museums, so little time” comes to mind

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  5. Did not know about either highly interesting museum. When I was a young adult libraries then always used to stock copies of Andre Norton, largely forgotten now but as famous as J.K Rowling is now in the 1960s- 1970s. I’ve been reading a lot of young adult works recently mainly because I got hooked on the excellent Gone series by Michael Grant and The enemy series by Charlie Higson so had to finish off both sets. Bob. BSS

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  6. The Foundling Museum is one of my favourites. I find the little tokens left with the children by their mothers especially moving. I was interested the you first heard about it from Coram Boy. I already knew it when I read the book, as my father worked nearby (in the School of Pharmacy) but the book definitely brought the place to life for me. I was chair of the Carnegie judging panel that year and we shortlisted the book and although it didn’t end up winning it could easily have done so.

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  7. I’m fascinated by the old foundling hospitals. I’m sure the children who lived there were better off than they would have been on the streets, but do wonder how well cared for they were.

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  8. Receiving mail as in letters is something I miss. My Nana used to write to Mum every week with a letter arriving Wednesday and Mum’s reply posted on Thursday, and mine would follow not long afterwards. I would’ve enjoyed the Post Office museum

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  12. In all my years living in London, I never made it to either museum. I’m always looking for new places to visit when I go back to the capital, so I’ll have to add these two to my list. I had no idea that pillar boxes were originally green. I must say I prefer the red – although the airmail blue is also rather striking.

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  13. Nice to find two very different museums, definitely ones I have never heard about before. Very interesting that the foundling museum was also an art gallery. 🙂

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  14. Hi, Anabel – What wonderful museum visits. I love the female portraits highlighted there. I am off with a friend to our local museum tomorrow. Although much smaller scale than the ones that you have featured here, I always look forward to it.

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  16. The Foundling Museum is one of my favourites. The thing that horrified me is the lottery, using the white and black balls, as to whether your child gets admitted. The other thing that is incredibly moving is the tiny keepsakes that were left with children. I also like Corams Fields play park where no adults are allowed unless accompanied by a child. It is much used by staff and parents to give kids some normal time when they are patients in Great Ormond Street Hospital.

    I have never been to the Postal Museum but I used to hear the wee train which ran directly under one of the places I stayed in London. The Museum sounds interesting!

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    • I remember the keepsakes in particular – it must have been such a terrible situation for the poor mothers. The Postal Museum is definitely worth a visit – surprised the wee train could make that much noise! Thanks for commenting, I’m sorry I don’t know your identity.

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  17. Thank you very much for posting about these two amazing museums. Both full of interest and really worthy of a visit Fascinating to read about Hetty Feather! Love the portrait of Jocelyn by Ingrid Pollard. Thanks again.

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  18. The Foundling Museum has a place in my heart as it was the first one I found when I initially went to live and work in London. It was near where I worked so I used to spend my lunchtime there. I’ve yet to visit the Postal Museum and your blog has shown me how necessary this is.

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  19. I am a big fan of museums as they preserve and exhibit important cultural, artistic, historical or scientific artefacts. I particularly liked your photos from the Postal Museum – I can easily see why they decided to repaint the postal boxes from green to red. The ones we have in Ireland, are green in colour and it’s always challenging to spot them. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful day 🙂 Aiva xx

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  21. Hi Anabel – great to see the two museums and your visit … love the one of John! he almost looks entrenched! So glad you had a happy time looking round them both … I’ve often thought about the PO museum … and hadn’t ever got to the Foundling Museum – though gave a history talk on it. I was round the corner for 9 months when my mother was initially ill ending up in a hospital nearby, but always exhausted – especially with the return journey to Eastbourne ahead. Cheers Hilary

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  22. Both of these museums are places I’d like to get to. The Foundling Hospital features in a lot of historical fiction and I’d be curious to explore the place behind the stories. Also love the description of volunteer Jocelyn as, ‘much loved, twinkly’. What a lovely way to be remembered!

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  25. I also didn’t know about blue post boxes being a thing just for email which is interesting. You can see the traditional British post box in green in Ireland and in yellow on the Channel islands though

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  26. I love these! Foundling Girl looks so sweet and I like the Postie mural. The mail coach is beautiful and I would love a ride on the mail train. I’m never likely to go to these places so thank you for showing me around. There’s a special blue post box in Manchester that I’ve been meaning to write about for a while. I really must get round to it soon.

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