The Charterhouse

With its link to the eponymous school in Godalming, this is an opportunity to visit the ancient and historic Charterhouse in London, taking in the fascinating history of the former Carthusian monastery and its gardens. Today it is a Grade I listed complex of seven and a half acres arranged around the original monastery and features the only Tudor Great Chamber to survive in London.

The site of the Charterhouse was first established in 1348 during the Black Death, when the land was used as a burial ground for victims of plague. In 1371, the Charterhouse was built – a respected and austere Carthusian monastery, which flourished throughout the later medieval and early Tudor period. With the dissolution of the monasteries, the Charterhouse became a mansion for wealthy noblemen and a refuge for royalty. In 1611 Thomas Sutton, a wealthy businessman and civil servant who had long desired to found a hospital, bought the Charterhouse and established the foundation. In his will he provided for up to 80 Brothers: as well as schooling for 40 ‘poor boys’. When the school moved to Godalming in 1872, the Brothers remained at the Charterhouse in Clerkenwell and continue living there today.

The grounds comprise Charterhouse Square and, within the walls, six courtyard gardens which are maintained for the benefit of the Brothers, contributing to their health and wellbeing by providing space for relaxation, contemplation and enjoyment of gardening and nature, and as a place of inspiration for arts and creativity.

In 2013 the Governors of the Charterhouse embarked on a campaign to open parts of the Charterhouse to the public, and to improve dramatically the landscape of their garden square, a rare urban oasis. The landscaping was undertaken by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan with a brief to make the site more accessible and welcoming to the public and to strengthen the visual and physical link between the square’s central garden and the Charterhouse and surrounding buildings, whilst preserving the sense of seclusion. Another important element of the scheme was to encourage biodiversity through the introduction of a number of features – a small pond, semi-natural planting around the margins of the central garden, and a traditional country ‘quickset’ hedge alongside the perimeter railings. The gardens have achieved a Grade 2 status as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. The formal areas of the gardens include herbaceous borders, lawns and old mulberry trees and the whole is managed by a head gardener and team of volunteers and Brothers.