Foundling Museum

Free with membership

Facilities

Accessible loos
Easily accessible without car
Facilities for children
Mostly wheelchair accessible
Shop

Accessibility

The museum is fully accessible.

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The Foundling Museum has more than 275 years of history permeating its objects, stories, and spaces. It tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, which was established in 1739 by the philanthropist Thomas Coram, to care for babies at risk of abandonment.

The Foundling Hospital was the UK’s first children’s charity and became its first public art gallery. It was transformed into one of London’s most fashionable venues by the artist William Hogarth, who encouraged leading artists to donate their work and by the composer George Frideric Handel, who held annual benefit concerts of Messiah in its chapel.

Today the collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, furniture, clocks and ceramics. Highlights range from tiny, touching identifying tokens left by mothers with their babies to composer George Frideric Handel’s Will. Artworks on display include work by outstanding contemporary artists like Yinka Shonibare, Tracey Emin and Michael Craig-Martin, as well as those made and donated nearly three centuries earlier by William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds.

Our Gerald Coke Handel Collection is a major research resource for study of the composer and philanthropist George Frideric Handel and his contemporaries. More than 14,000 items include manuscripts, printed music, books, artworks, sound recordings and ephemera.

During its two centuries in operation, the Foundling Hospital looked after a remarkable 25,000 children. The Museum opened in 2004, fifty years after the Foundling Hospital placed its last pupil in foster care. The Museum building is situated in the grounds of the old hospital at 40 Brunswick Square in Bloomsbury (near to Russell Square tube station). It was constructed in the 1930s, and incorporates many architectural features from the original eighteenth-century hospital building.

Visit the Museum to discover the story of the Foundling Hospital, the children who lived there, and its vibrant community of artists, musicians and supporters through its galleries and historic rooms.

Opening Times

Important information: opening info is generated by artificial intelligence; check specific attraction details before travelling.

The indicator above will show ‘open’ when the public have any kind of access to any part of this property. That could be the park, a shop, or a special event, and may not reflect regular admission times to the main attraction. Always consult the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling to check that the attraction you are interested in is open.

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Regular Opening Hours

The Foundling Museum is open to visitors throughout the week with the following hours:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday to Saturday: 10am–5pm
Sunday: 11am–5pm

Amended Opening Hours

Please note the following closures and early closures on specific dates:

31 October: Museum closed from 12pm
5 November: Court Room closed all day; Museum closed from 4pm
14 November: Closed from 1pm
19 November: First Floor closed
25 November: First Floor closed

Guided Tours

Guided Museum Tours (Groups): Available during museum opening hours, subject to guide availability. We recommend giving at least three weeks' notice for group bookings. Groups larger than 20 must be staggered by 10–15 minutes and may require a second guide. Please note that tours in July and August 2026 are subject to change due to building works.

Self-Led Group Tours: Available during museum opening hours. Groups of 8 or more must book in advance. Groups larger than 20 must be staggered by 10–15 minutes. Tours in July and August 2026 are subject to change due to building works.

Sunday Drop-In Tours: Join us for drop-in tours on the following Sundays: 18 October, 25 October, 8 November, and 22 November 2026.

BSL Tour: A British Sign Language tour of the Foundling Museum is available on 24 October 2026.

Activities and Trails

Free Creative Activities: Launching on 18 May, free creative activities are available in the Introductory Gallery during museum opening hours.

Hetty Feather Trail: This self-guided trail is available during regular museum opening hours.

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

300 Years of the 'Rival Queens': Handel's 1726 Opera Season – 30 June to 25 October 2026
Voices in the Room – 16 June to 1 November 2026
Where We Grow: nature, nurture & childhood – 17 November 2026 to 18 April 2027

Admission

Historic Houses members visit free

Adult: £14.50
Concessions: £13.00
Under-21s: Free

Group Visits

Guided tour up to 20 people: £11.50 per adult, £7.50 per student + £96 for the guide (incl. VAT)

Self-Led tour for 8-20 people: £11.50 per adult, £7.50 per student

Book a group visit here

Educational Visits

Schools visit free.

University groups wishing to visit must book a group tour.

Accessibility

The museum is fully accessible.

Does our information need updating?

Let us know here

Getting here

40 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ

Four-minute walk from Russell Square tube station, 10 minute walk from Euston and Kings Cross mainline stations. The nearest buses are the 7, 59, 68, 91, 98, 168 and 188 from Russell Square Station. Cycle docking stations for Santander Cycle Hire are located at Brunswick Square and Russell Square Station. For visitors wishing to travel by car there is an NCP carpark at The Brunswick Shopping Centre.