The Charterhouse has been living the nation’s history since 1348. Founded as a medieval monastery of We look forward to welcoming you.
Founded as a medieval monastery of the Carthusian order, the site became a Tudor mansion, a boys’ school, and an almshouse, which it remains to this day. We provide accommodation for over 40 individuals known as ‘Brothers’ who form part of the community alongside staff, private and commercial tenants, and residents of the Infirmary. Our historic and peaceful 7 acre site is an inspiring location fo
r filming and private events. In late January 2017 we opened our doors to the public for the first time in our 660 year history as part of the Revealing the Charterhouse project. Come and discover our fascinating story revealed through our free museum and tour programme!
Operating as usual
The Historic Interiors Tour is back!
Come along next Wednesday to learn about the design of our buildings over the years & explore our unique collection of artwork, including this 17th Century tapestry👇
Tag a friend who would love this tour 👀
Tickets: http://ow.ly/10ES50Nogez
It's great to see so many people enjoying our 🙌
Join us every Friday from 10am-12pm, for a hot drink and a chat 🫖
We're kicking off this Friday with a round of ! Time to see if you can correctly answer the following Tudor trivia 🤔
Where did Lord North die?
A) At the Charterhouse
B) While visiting Grande Chartreuse
C) In Cambridgeshire, while attending to duties
The correct answer will be revealed on our Stories later today; drop your answer below👇
We have a few tickets remaining for the Thomas Sutton Lecture next Wednesday!
Historian 𝔇𝔯 𝔈𝔪𝔪𝔞 𝔍. 𝔚𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔰 will present the lecture, focusing on how the Reformation “broke” the English church.
For tickets, click here 👉 http://ow.ly/HA6B50Nkgm3
The Thomas Sutton Lecture - How the Reformation “Broke” the English Church?
Did you know one of the best ways to explore the Charterhouse is by candlelight? Treat yourself to a ticket for our Candlelight tour this Friday, and see what all the fuss is about 😉
For more information and to book tickets, click here: http://ow.ly/Rbe350NgS53
We're back for another round of ! In other words, a chance to see how much you know about the Tudor period at the Charterhouse 👀
When was the site of the Charterhouse acquired from the crown by Lord North?
A) 1535
B) 1575
C) 1545
The correct answer will be revealed later today..
The Choristers of St Pauls Cathedral will be joining us for a special Choral Evensong in the calm and serenity of our Jacobean Chapel, next Wednesday at 5:30pm.
Open to everyone, free entry🎵
We're searching for garden volunteers to join our team🌳
No professional gardening experience is necessary - just an energetic attitude and a keen interest in plants!
For details on the role, please visit: http://ow.ly/BIil50Nb85V
We're celebrating with this throwback photo of the archway leading to Washhouse Court - which is over five hundred years old!
Join us on March 22nd for the Thomas Sutton lecture, which will focus on how the Reformation “broke” the English church.
The talk will be given by 𝔇𝔯 𝔈𝔪𝔪𝔞 𝔍. 𝔚𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔰, lecturer in Ecclesiastical and Architectural History at the University of York.
Tickets 🎟️ http://ow.ly/FrBx50N4t6H
Today our is this lead papal bulla👇
This object was key in helping us to identify the body of the Charterhouse's original founder Sir Walter Manny, who is buried in our Chapel Court.
Papal bullae were used as seals on official papal documents.
Drumroll, please...
It's time to announce the winner of our ticket giveaway 🙌
Congratulations to Mark Karnani, who has won 2 tickets to our Candlelight tour this Friday🕯️
Thank you to everyone that participated, and make sure to look out for future giveaways!
We have two free tickets for our Candlelight tour up for grabs!
Come along this Friday for a journey through the Charterhouse's extraordinary history, all revealed in flickering candlelight ✨
To enter, simply like and share this post, and tag a friend who you would like to join you👇
The winner will be announced at 4 pm tomorrow.
Can you spot this week's ?
Look closely at the outer wall of the Chapel cloister, and you can see where schoolboys of the Charterhouse made their mark 😅
Under the graffiti, there are scorch marks from the 1941 bombing - which destroyed much of the Charterhouse.
Time for Round 2 of our Tudor Pub Quiz - a chance for you to see how much you know about Tudor life at the Charterhouse 👑
What was the name of the governmental body that oversaw the dissolution of the
monasteries?
A) The Privy Council
B) The Court of Augmentations
C) Ministry for Monastic Matters
The correct answer will be revealed at 4pm on our Stories.
We're really looking forward to launching our initiative tomorrow 😀
Join us at the Charterhouse and enjoy a hot drink in a warm, peaceful environment.
We're offering FREE tickets for our family workshop, A Portrait fit for a Queen!
Come along this Friday and have a go at drawing a portrait of our special guest, Queen Elizabeth I 👀
Grab your tickets here 🎨
Draw the Queen Red. Queen Elizabeth I has arrived at the Charterhouse on the way to her coronation. Visitors will enjoy an audience with the future Queen and discover why she needs her portrait painted. But don’t forget, the portrait needs to look it’s best — it needs to portray her majesty wi...
We've got a selection of the Charterhouse's most romantic details to celebrate 💘
Take a look and see if you spot the heart in the brickwork👇
Get in the creative spirit this half-term with our family workshop, A Portrait fit for a Queen!
You'll have the opportunity to meet our special guest, Queen Elizabeth I, and have a go at drawing a royal portrait..
Find out about our half-term activities: http://ow.ly/3aWw50MPhGx
See history come to life at our At Home with the Tudors workshop next Wednesday, bought to you by Black Knight Historical 👑
There's loads of audience participation and artefacts, making it the perfect half-term activity!
To book tickets, visit: http://ow.ly/9ZGj50MOe3Y
Welcome to the Tudor Pub Quiz - all about the Charterhouse in Tudor times 🤗
Kicking it off with question number 1: when did Elizabeth I hold her first council meeting in the Great Chamber?
A) November 1558
B) January 1557
C) October 1559
Comment your guess down below, and check our Stories at 4pm today for the answer 🏆
The Charterhouse gardens are beginning to blossom🌷
Spring is on the horizon!
Pop by for a hot drink and a chat as part of our initiative ☕
Every Friday from 10am - 12pm, February 17th onwards.
Here at the Charterhouse, there's a story to be found in every room 📚
Even though the Old Library isn't used as a reading room anymore, it's fun to look back and see how the space has transformed over the years...
Looking for an activity the whole family can enjoy? Our family tour ticks the box 🙌
Join us this Saturday to search for Thomas Sutton’s missing Talbot hounds! Who knows what else you might discover along the way 👀
Children go free, £10 per adult.
View Charterhouse Family Tour from The Charterhouse.
Our candlelit tour is back this Friday! Soak up the magical atmosphere of the Charterhouse after dark 🕯️
The tour unravels the captivating story of one of London's hidden gems, from the people who have called it home to the history of the site 👀
Tickets: http://ow.ly/pp9Q50MAWfi
To mark , we're sharing a slice of history about the Charterhouses' Scottish connections.
The Charterhouse became the scene for Tudor intrigue when Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, was implicated in a conspiracy known as the Ridolfi Plot, to replace Elizabeth I on the throne with her rival Mary, Queen of Scots.
Howard intended to marry Mary Queen of Scots despite her imprisonment. In 1570 he was placed under house arrest, and during this time had the ceiling of the Great Chamber redecorated to reflect his hoped-for union with Mary, with the corners of the ceiling showing thistles intertwined with a lion. However, his plan to overthrow Elizabeth I was discovered, and he was executed in 1572, aged 36.
Photo credit: Will Pryce
Join us this Saturday on a Brothers tour for a unique opportunity to learn about the Charterhouse's long history, from the people who call it home 🏠
Each tour is given from a Brother's perspective - so no two tours are the same!
To buy tickets, visit: http://ow.ly/ZbY150MvUYK
To celebrate , our resident pooch Bertie has been touring the Charterhouse and taking a whole host of pictures 📸
Good job Bertie!
Cheer up this dreary by booking a candlelit tour here at the Charterhouse 🌟
Join us this Friday at 6 pm for an atmospheric tour that uncovers the history behind one of London's hidden treasures.
Tickets are going quickly; get yours here👉http://ow.ly/jvQZ50MrSFx
Join us on January 21st for a magical performance from the early music ensemble Musicke in the Ayre.
Soprano Marie Lemaire will be accompanied by luthier Din Ghani on an archlute and baroque guitar, both made by him 🎻
For more information, visit: http://ow.ly/Yo7650MoTpn
To celebrate Day, we're delving into the history behind our collection of Flemish tapestries..
In 1615, the Governors of Thomas Sutton’s newly established almshouse bought 8 Flemish tapestries from the merchant Edmund Traves, for a staggering 1488 shillings. Originally each wall in the Great Chamber would be covered by a tapestry, but sadly only three of the large panels have survived intact. Two smaller panels and a third tapestry made up of offcuts also remain. Each panel depicts an Old Testament story; Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Deborah with Barak, and Saul arming David to fight Goliath.
The tapestries were restored in 2020 and are displayed in our Tapestry Room, which can be viewed on our monthly Art and Historic Interiors Tour.
Congratulations are in order for the Master of the Charterhouse Peter Aiers, who has received OBE recognition in King Charles III New Year’s Honours list for services to heritage.
Image credit Will Pryce
Join us next Tuesday for our brand-new Art and Historic Interiors tour 🖼️
Learn about the architecture of our historic rooms, as well as our unique painting collection and Flemish tapestries, which can only be viewed on this tour 👀
Tickets: http://ow.ly/ikyc50MjNrb
A rather belated Happy New Year from everyone at the Charterhouse - we hope to see you in 2023! 🙌
Have a wonderful Christmas, and visit us soon to see the beginnings that inspired so much from TS Elliot, Thackeray, the ghosts of Christmas Carol, Tom and Jerry and, of course, the Talbots!
If you visit Leeds Art Gallery, you will see 'The Frozen Thames' by the painter and Brother of the Charterhouse, Walter Greaves (1846-1930). Friends with James Whistler, he became a Brother in 1922 after Whistler's biographer's attacks left him destitute. He is buried in the Charterhouse cemetery in Little Hallingbury.
Tom and Jerry can claim to be inspired by one of our brothers' legacy. Joining the Charterhouse in 1844, the playwright W T Moncrieff (1794-1857) penned the play, 'Tom and Jerry, or Life in London'. It was hugely successful and had a continuous run of over 100 performances. With this, Tom and Jerry become a synonymous pair!
Please take note of our updated opening hours over the festive season 🎁
We will be closed from Christmas Day and reopen on Wednesday 28th. We will close on New Year’s Eve, reopening on Tuesday 3rd. During this time tours are not scheduled, but our Chapel is open for prayer.
If you visit the Charterhouse this Christmas, you might see our talbot hound on top of the tree. The noble talbot is the crest topping the coat of arms chosen for Thomas Sutton, who founded the Charterhouse in 1611. Talbots are an extinct breed of hunting dog, with ancient depictions ranging from greyhound-like to cute fluffy spaniels! Talbots are everywhere here, including pew ends, staircases and weather vanes - next time you visit, try to find them all!
The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square
London
EC1M6AN
| Tuesday | 10:30am - 4:30pm |
| Wednesday | 10:30am - 4:30pm |
| Thursday | 10:30am - 4:45pm |
| Friday | 10:30am - 4:30pm |
| Saturday | 10:30am - 4:30pm |
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