Marchmont Street Foundling Tokens

The sad story behind Marchmont Street Sculptures

Walking along Bloomsbury’s Marchmont Street, look down, instead of the usual up, for something different. Embedded into the pavement are Foundling Tokens, sculptures which reflect the history of the area.

Click here to find out about the Hardy Tree, another quirky piece of London.

The foundling tokens are part of a work by French artist John Aldus who was commissioned by Camden Council to create artwork for Marchmont Street. These tokens reflect that Marchmont Street and The Brunswick Centre is built on land which was part of The Foundling Hospital.

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The Foundling tokens

When a child was accepted at the Foundling Hospital, their mother could leave a token to help identify their child if they returned for them. The tokens were kept beside the admittance information for the child.

The Foundling Hospital

Marchmont Street is named after the 2nd Earl of Marchmont, Alexander Hume-Campbell, who was one of the founding governors of the Foundling Hospital. The Foundling Hospital was established in 1739 and was the UK’s first children’s charity. The charity was set up by Thomas Coram to care for abandoned babies.

The Foundling Museum

There is a museum near to Marchmont Street that tells the story of the Foundling Hospital. Inside are tokens left by mothers over the years as well as a history of this sad side of life.