Coram'S Field Playground, Former Foundling Hospital And Gates And Railings

Coram's Field Playground, the surviving forecourt buildings to the former Foundling Hospital

The forecourt buildings of the former Foundling Hospital, now Coram's Fields Playground, were built between 1742 and 1753 by Theodore Jacobsen for Captain Thomas Coram. The site has undergone various later additions and alterations, and was reconstructed between 1964 and 1968 by G Bryant Hobbs. The only buildings remaining in their original form are the northern sections of the east and west ranges, which were restored by English Heritage London Division around 1988. The buildings are constructed of stucco and painted brick with slated roofs.

The central entrance gateway features a distyle stone gate pier with engaged Doric columns, entablature, blocking course and round-arched alcoves to the north and south elevations. This is flanked by twentieth-century cast-iron railings and gates attached to small single-storey Porters' lodges. Each lodge has a pitched roof and eaves cornice, with a projecting single north-facing window bay containing an architraved round-arched sash window and impost band. Pedimented porches facing east and west are positioned on the gable ends, featuring round-arched doorways with narrow windows above, surmounted by stucco swags and putti.

On the south side, loggias with single storey and Doric half-columns contain central round-arched doorways flanked by round-arched windows, with slated pitched roofs and projecting eaves cornices. These loggias flank projecting central two-storey brick pavilions with pitched slated roofs and five window bays. The ground floor features six Doric half-columns supporting an entablature at first-floor level, with round-arched doorways and windows. The first floor contains three oculi and an eaves cornice.

The Band Room in the south-east corner is a single-storey building with five bays featuring round-arched windows with lunettes above, cornice, blocking course and a slated hipped roof. It was rebuilt on similar lines to a former mid-nineteenth-century building. The Mary Ward Youth Club in the south-west corner is two storeys with five bays, round-arched French doors at ground-floor level, recessed sashes at first floor, cornice, blocking course and a slated hipped roof, built to balance the Band Room.

The east and west loggias comprise two ranges of single-storey loggias with Doric columns supporting simplified entablatures with bracketed eaves cornices and slated pitched roofs. The northern halves of each loggia are open, while the southern halves are enclosed with round-arched French windows. These terminate at the north ends with projecting stucco pavilions featuring round-arched recesses and openings linked by impost bands and surmounted by a lantern. Projecting central pavilions contain three round-arched windows and Doric half-columns supporting entablatures with pediments. Blind oculi in the tympanums formerly displayed modelled figures and coats of arms.

The original Foundling Hospital was built between 1742 and 1753 and was demolished in 1926. The memorials and heraldic glass from the former chapel and the statue of Coram from the main entrance were transferred to the new hospital built at Berkhamstead. The former court room, committee room, picture gallery and works of art were retained in a new building at No.40 Brunswick Square.