Why a Booktrail?
1754: Two women from different worlds. And a secret that will change everything . . .
The Foundling
What you need to know before your trail
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London’s Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst – that Clara has died in care – the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed – by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl – and why.
Less than a mile from Bess’ lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend – an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital – persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Discover the story of The Foundling Hospital in London
The hospital which is now a museum tells the story of the first British home for abandoned children, complete with art collection and Handel memorabilia.
The Foundling Hospital was established in 1739 by the philanthropist Thomas Coram, to care for babies whose parents could not look after them.
If you would like to learn more about the hospital you can visit the museum in the original setting and online: foundlingmuseum.org.uk/
There are some wonderful descriptions of London in the 1750s and of the different types of people who used to live in the city’s streets. We see a mix of people from the richer areas of Belgravia to the poorest parts of town.
The two main women in the story are a world apart in terms of wealth, class and respectability. London was a city of inequality at that time, in more ways than one.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Foundling
Destination/location: London Author/guide: Stacey Halls Departure Time: 1754
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
