The Charterhouse

The Charterhouse We are an almshouse, home to a vibrant community, as well as a heritage site dating back to 1348. We look forward to welcoming you.

The Charterhouse has been living the nation’s history since 1348. 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 for 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!

A big thank you to Lucy Hughes-Hallett for a fascinating and hugely entertaining talk on the Duke Of Buckingham yesterda...
26/03/2025

A big thank you to Lucy Hughes-Hallett for a fascinating and hugely entertaining talk on the Duke Of Buckingham yesterday evening, and to everyone who came and supported us. The gripping story of the favourite of King James I (James VI of Scotland) had the room buzzing!

It's been very exciting watching Oliver Russell and his team from the Forge in Hampshire install the rose arch in Norfol...
25/03/2025

It's been very exciting watching Oliver Russell and his team from the Forge in Hampshire install the rose arch in Norfolk Gardens this morning. We're looking forward to sharing more about this soon!

The buds on this stunning Magnolia Soulangeana in Pensioner's Court have just started to open thanks to the glorious sun...
21/03/2025

The buds on this stunning Magnolia Soulangeana in Pensioner's Court have just started to open thanks to the glorious sunshine at the weekend. We hope to be able to share its full glory with you soon, and fingers crossed we don't get any late frosts or heavy rain or winds over the next couple of weeks!

Unfortunately we can't share with you how beautifully fragrant this Daphne is, but hopefully this lovely photo by Emily ...
20/03/2025

Unfortunately we can't share with you how beautifully fragrant this Daphne is, but hopefully this lovely photo by Emily from our Garden Team conveys some of the atmosphere of the Norfolk Gardens with the Tudor brickwork of the Cloister just visible in the background.

Charterhouse resident Mansel will be reprising the role of actor Arnold Ridley in an uplifting play about his remarkable...
19/03/2025

Charterhouse resident Mansel will be reprising the role of actor Arnold Ridley in an uplifting play about his remarkable life, at the renowned White Bear Theatre in London this spring. Opening on Tuesday 29 April and closing on Sunday 3 May 2025, Tues - Sat 7:30pm and Sat 2:30pm.

Find out more and for tickets go to https://buff.ly/b091sOY

Seamus and Jakub from The London Archives came to photograph our four Water maps earlier last week. The maps date from c...
18/03/2025

Seamus and Jakub from The London Archives came to photograph our four Water maps earlier last week. The maps date from c1431 - c1625, so Ann-Marie and Chloe from Codex Conservation were on hand to review their condition and ensure they were photo ready. We are looking forward to sharing more about our Water map digitisation project soon!

It's which is an opportunity to celebrate the people and places that make England such a wonderful place to visit. Thi...
17/03/2025

It's which is an opportunity to celebrate the people and places that make England such a wonderful place to visit. This year we recorded our highest ever visitor figures since opening in 2017, so want to say a big thank you to everyone who has visited.

It is so important to us not only in providing income to support our charity, but that our visitors feel they can connect to our story through our heritage and are welcomed into the historic buildings that are home for our residents.

Join us on Sunday 23 March for a Choral Evensong with Symbel Choir Held in our Chapel from 4pm, everyone is welcome. Ent...
15/03/2025

Join us on Sunday 23 March for a Choral Evensong with Symbel Choir

Held in our Chapel from 4pm, everyone is welcome. Entry through the gatehouse.

To find out more: https://buff.ly/3MAqHZX

Resident Tim captured the Dogwood in the Norfolk Gardens in the evening sunshine, which makes it look almost as if it's ...
14/03/2025

Resident Tim captured the Dogwood in the Norfolk Gardens in the evening sunshine, which makes it look almost as if it's on fire!

Photographs and creative writing by the participants of our Neighbouring Histories project are now on display in our Cha...
12/03/2025

Photographs and creative writing by the participants of our Neighbouring Histories project are now on display in our Chapel Cloister. We partnered with Barts Heritage and The Stuart Low Trust, and Creative Writes: https://buff.ly/3Qtwenb and PomegranArt led workshops to inspire creative responses to the historic spaces at the Charterhouse and St Bartholomew's Hospital.

Read the blog here: https://thecharterhouse.org/blog/neighbouring-histories-community-engagement-project/ to find out more about the project.

Funding thanks to Arts Council England through Museum Development London, with match-funding from Barts Heritage thanks to their National Lottery Heritage Fund project.

Sunkissed; resident Tim took this photo of the sunlight falling on the carved statues on the balcony in the Great Hall w...
11/03/2025

Sunkissed; resident Tim took this photo of the sunlight falling on the carved statues on the balcony in the Great Hall while having his breakfast!

REMINDER - Our Visitor Centre, Chapel and museum display will be closed to the public tomorrow Tuesday 11 March for the ...
10/03/2025

REMINDER - Our Visitor Centre, Chapel and museum display will be closed to the public tomorrow Tuesday 11 March for the day, but tours will be taking place as usual. Ticket holders will be notified of alternative arrangements for a meeting point.

This oak communion table in our Chapel is one of the few surviving items of furniture from the era of the foundation of ...
07/03/2025

This oak communion table in our Chapel is one of the few surviving items of furniture from the era of the foundation of Sutton’s Hospital as the Charterhouse was originally known, and dates from 1613. It has been in everyday use in the Chapel ever since it arrived here, apart from a few years during the Second World War when daily services were suspended.

It's and although our Old Library is no longer used as a library, our residents have a lovely spot in the QEII Lounge ...
06/03/2025

It's and although our Old Library is no longer used as a library, our residents have a lovely spot in the QEII Lounge where they can read looking out onto the courtyard gardens. Simon, pictured here, has shared with us that one of his favourite books is a classic from the 1950s, The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E Bowman, which is a parody about mountaineering inspired by the 1953 Everest expedition.

He says he began reading 'grown up' books when he was quite young, and "delighted in seeing wonderful new places, through the eyes of so many varied people. From Kafka's paranoid The Trial, to John Barth's swashbuckling The Sot W**d Factor, to Mr Micawber in David Copperfield, or Pushkin's hero in Eugene Onegin, what a wealth of humanity there is."

Photo by Ethical Creatives: https://buff.ly/l3CwBbG

It's Shrove Tuesday so our residents are enjoying pancakes today, we hope you are too! Our Kitchen Team have chosen to k...
04/03/2025

It's Shrove Tuesday so our residents are enjoying pancakes today, we hope you are too! Our Kitchen Team have chosen to keep it classic with lemon and sugar.

Our Visitor Centre, Chapel and museum display will be closed to the public on Tuesday 11 March for the day, but tours wi...
04/03/2025

Our Visitor Centre, Chapel and museum display will be closed to the public on Tuesday 11 March for the day, but tours will be taking place as usual. Ticket holders will be notified of alternative arrangements for a meeting point.

Just a reminder that tickets are still available for our Springtime Garden Tours on Tuesdays at 13:00 on 11 March and 6 ...
03/03/2025

Just a reminder that tickets are still available for our Springtime Garden Tours on Tuesdays at 13:00 on 11 March and 6 May, but April has now sold out. These gardener-led tours are a great opportunity to see the spring flowers in our courtyard gardens, and hear about the work they do to maintain and develop the site for the enjoyment of our residents, visitors and wildlife!

Find out more here: https://buff.ly/9XuurGU 🌼

Emily from our Garden Team took this lovely pic of the Hellebores in Preacher's Court.

Learn about our insect visitors in the 2024 Pollinating London Together flower-visiting insect and habitat surveys of ou...
28/02/2025

Learn about our insect visitors in the 2024 Pollinating London Together flower-visiting insect and habitat surveys of our gardens. Our Garden team will be using these reports to help develop the biodiversity of our site and create better habitats for pollinators.

Read the reports here: https://buff.ly/3ETBspC
Find out more about Pollinating London: https://buff.ly/4iadmFt

Address

The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square
London
EC1M6AN

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

0203 8188873

Website

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Videos

Stunning pink and lilac skies briefly appeared over the Charterhouse earlier this week as the sun went down, no filters or special effects needed! #NaturePhotography #PinkSkies #CharterhouseLondon

Bee.mp4
Bee.mp4

Lovely to see this pollinator busy before the winter. #pollinators #NatureLovers #GardenLife #BeeLife #charterhouselondon

Beautiful footage of a Hummingbird Hawk Moth feeding on Red Valerian (Centranthus Ruba) in Preacher's Court, captured by Justin our Head Gardener at the weekend! 🌺 #HummingbirdHawkMoth #GardeningLife #GardenWatch #InsectLovers #charterhouselondon

Our gardeners are busy getting the gardens ready for our first Open Gardens Evening on Thursday 20th June. Here is Alex pruning our lovely Handkerchief tree! 🌳 To find out more about our Open Garden Evenings visit: https://thecharterhouse.org/visit-us/whats-on/open-garden-evenings-2024-june/ #HandkerchiefTree #GardeningLife #charterhouselondon #opengardenevenings #gardensoflondon

We love this reel from @historywithmegs, capturing the Charterhouse so eloquently 😊 #charterhouselondon #londontours #londonmuseums

🐿️ We have a very territorial squirrel in Washhouse Court, caught here showing off its impressive drain-pipe scaling skills! #UrbanWildlife #SquirrelWatch #NatureInCity #charterhouselondon

We are celebrating the joys of gardening and gardens during #NationalGardeningWeek! This is our Handkerchief Tree, also known as a Dove or Ghost Tree, with its stunning white flowers fluttering in the breeze in Norfolk Gardens. 🕊️ The walls of the Charterhouse create a sheltered micro-climate which helps our plants to thrive. Of course our Garden team also work hard all year round to create a healthy and biodiverse environment for them as well. Along with our residents and visitors, we get to enjoy the results! 🌼 #HandkerchiefTree #SummerGardens #CourtyardGardens #NationalGardeningWeek #charterhouselondon

For more information and tickets visit: https://thecharterhouse.org/visit-us/whats-on/open-garden-evenings-2024-june/

The bulbs planted in November last year produced a stunning display of yellow tulips and narcissus 🌼 Bluebells and white star flower will be out next! ❀ #FlowerGarden #GardenInspiration #GardenLife #tulips #narcissus #biodiversity

We're looking forward to being part of London Open Gardens on Sunday 9th June 2024 💐 Thank you for this lovely reel from London Parks & Gardens 🌳 Find out more: https://londongardenstrust.org/whatson/london-open-gardens-2024/ #londonparksandgardens #londongardenstrust #thecharterhouselondon #londonopengardens

We are fortunate to have four rare water maps in our collection dating from c.1431 to c.1625. 📜 These fascinating manuscripts show the water system that supplied the monastery from springs to the north. The oldest dates back to 1431, and is now back in our museum gallery after 4 years 'resting'. Conservators Ann-Marie Miller and Ann Tang from Codex Conservation have been carrying out conservation work and here they are carefully wrapping the map to move it safely. 👉 Do come and have a look when you visit next time! #ConservationWork #CodexConservation #MuseumExhibit

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