Museum of…

Where The Charterhouse is in west Smithfield, on the edge of the City of London. The 14th-century site has been a Black Death cemetery, a medieval monastery, a grand Tudor mansion, a boys’ school and an almshouse, which it remains to this day. The residents of the almshouse, both male and female, are referred to as brothers.

Opened The museum is a recent development, says Ellie Darton-Moore, museum and collections manager at the Charterhouse. “In January 2017, the Revealing the Charterhouse project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and in partnership with the Museum of London, came to fruition and a museum and tour offer were launched to share the history of the site with the public,” she says.

Collection “The Charterhouse is custodian of a wide range of historic objects acquired over its 660-year history,” says Darton- Moore. These include paintings, drawings and prints; rare books; silverware; social history items; historic furniture; original postcards and

photographs. There is also a substantial library collection comprised of the Thackeray Collection (William Makepeace Thackeray was an alumnus of Charterhouse School).

The Charterhouse works closely with other repositories including Charterhouse School and the London Metropolitan Archives, which cares for many personal records relating to those who lived, studied and worked at the institution.

Highlights “We are fortunate to oversee a collection representative of each period of Charterhouse history, from the Black Death to the present day,” Darton-Moore says. “A star object is the 15th-century water map that records the pipes and aqueducts at the monastery on site in 1431. It has survived for nearly 700 years, presumably because it was used as a working document.”

One of Darton-Moore’s favourite items is a fragment of a sculpture of St Catherine of Alexandria. The statue had occupied a medieval side chapel before being broken and used as building material for the Tudor mansion. It was rediscovered after the 1940 Blitz.

Help at hand There is a learning programme manager, a part-time volunteer coordinator (who looks after 50 volunteers), and the equivalent of two full-time visitor hosts.
Budget The museum and chapel are free to visit and visitors can take a 60-minute tour of the site with a guide or resident brother (£10 or £15 a head respectively).

The Charterhouse’s Friends membership scheme and programme of events is a major source of income.

Sticky moment Nothing major yet, says Darton-Moore. “The newness of the museum means we have had to think on our feet and be responsive to visitors’ needs a few times, but the museum team is well supported by colleagues and resident brothers who are always willing to stand in at the last minute.”

Survival tip “Network, network, network,” says Darton-Moore. “I have built up an extensive database of peers in the sector and never hesitate to ask for advice. I have also been surprised by how much we learn about the site from our visitors. As the Charterhouse covers such a variety of periods and functions, visitors who share their information and stories with us help to enrich our understanding enormously.

Visitors An average of 3,500 a month. The museum team is optimistic about growing visitor numbers as word about the venue gets out.

Future plans The Charterhouse has started a project to “beautify and refresh” the Great Chamber, a grand room that dates to the Tudor period and was used by Elizabeth I on her accession to the throne.

“We hope to develop a temporary exhibition space and rehang our collection of 17th-century portraiture to better define the Charterhouse’s role in this period of English history,” says Darton-Moore.

Louise Gray is a freelance journalist