The Charterhouse

The Charterhouse is a contemporary almshouse and community, as well as a heritage site in the heart of London. Its origins date back to the 14th century when land which is now Charterhouse Square was bought for use as a burial site for victims of the Black Death. A Chapel to pray for their souls was built nearby, and this eventually became part of the largest Carthusian monastery in England where an order of monks lived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII’s reign. The Charterhouse was then rebuilt as a grand Tudor mansion which had a succession of influential owners who hosted prestigious guests, and in 1611 a charitable trust made provision for an almshouse and a school on the site. The school eventually moved to Surrey in 1872, but the almshouse still remains and we now welcome visitors to our historic site on tours or for our public events.