Foundling Hospital chapel

The chapel of the Foundling Hospital. The hospital was founded in 1742 by Captain Thomas Coram to care for poor children. Handel donated the chapel organ, seen in the centre of this image. He gave performances of the 'Messiah' on it to raise money for the hospital. In 1926 the hospital moved to Berkhamsted.
In these photographs, Reid aimed to record an extended walk through the cities of Westminster and London. He used a wooden whole-plate stand camera and a handcart and stepladder which allowed him to photograph from an elevated standpoint. By the time of his death in 1933, Reid had made over 700 photographs for the project, organised into albums. He wrote two manuscripts in rhyme called ‘The Route Ornate’ to accompany his images.