The Foundling Museum

Not many people know about this museum which is an interesting part of local history: it is devoted to the Foundling Hospital, Britain's first home for abandoned children. The institution was opened in 1739 by the philanthropist Thomas Coram and is now home to paintings and sculptures by well-known British 18th-century artists such as William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough, and Joshua Reynolds. BBC has created a short documentary about the Foundling Hospital for you to learn more about the hospital's intriguing history before your visit.