The Brothers' tour of the Charterhouse

Why it is on the list

The Charterhouse began as a Carthusian monastery in 1371 and became a Tudor mansion after the Dissolution; Elizabeth I held her first Privy Council in its Great Chamber, and James I held court there before his coronation.¹² Since 1611 it has been an almshouse: around 40 people over 60 live there, are still called Brothers, and eat together in the Great Hall, as residents have since 1614.³² The buildings are listed Grade I.⁴ On this tour one of the Brothers takes you round, so it covers the house as a home as well as its history, and no two Brothers give the same tour.⁵

It is the wrong choice for a first, fixed-length look at the rooms: the Historic Buildings & Rooms tour takes 60 minutes with a professional guide, Tuesday to Saturday at 11am and 2.15pm.⁶ For a house seen by candlelight, the candlelit tour at Sir John Soane's Museum is the other choice.

How to get it

Book a date on the Charterhouse ticket page; the tour runs on Thursdays and Saturdays and costs £20, or £18 for concessions.⁵⁷ For a private group, write to tours@thecharterhouse.org or call +44 20 3818 8873; a group tour takes up to 20 people, and larger parties are split into two tours.⁸ Part of the tour is outdoors, so dress for the weather.⁶ The Charterhouse sometimes changes opening times or closes at short notice.⁶

Discretion

The Charterhouse is a home: visitors are asked not to photograph residents or anyone else without their consent, and tripods, selfie sticks and lighting are not allowed.⁶ The visitor entrance is on the north side of Charterhouse Square, a little past the Gatehouse.⁶