You may have heard the name The Charterhouse before, even walked into Charterhouse Square, but visiting this place in the centre of London was a revelation to me. I was staggered to find this calm and peaceful haven between The Barbican and Smithfield Market.
A friend of mine moved into the community recently and kindly offered to show me around. There’s a mix of stone and brick buildings visible from the square but once inside it’s a different world.
Built in 1371 as a Carthusian monastery, it was taken over by wealthy nobility at the dissolution of the monasteries becoming a refuge for royalty. Its current function began in 1611 when Thomas Sutton bought it and established the foundation in his will for up to 80 Brothers: “either decrepit or old captaynes either at sea or at land, maimed or disabled soldiers, merchants fallen on hard times, those ruined by shipwreck of other calamity”.
There was also a school which moved out to Godalming in 1872, now a famous Public School.
Filming for the screen version of Hamnet had just ended the week before I visited.
Having read the novel I can see why they chose it.
You can book a tour which I highly recommend.
