About Us

FAQs

What is the Charterhouse?

The Charterhouse is an almshouse and a housing charity, set on a heritage site on a seven acre site in Clerkenwell, London. It has been a medieval monastery, a grand Tudor mansion, a boys’ school and an almshouse, which it remains to this day.

Thomas Sutton, who one of the wealthiest ‘commoners’ in Jacobean England, bought the Charterhouse and founded a charity in 1611. The two objectives of the charity were to provide accommodation for up to eighty men who had “served their country well”, and to provide an education for forty poor scholars. The school left the site in 1872, but today the Charterhouse remains home to around 40 people in the almshouse.

The building is formally known as Sutton’s Hospital in Charterhouse, and is a registered charity (number 207773).

Visitors are invited to see our museum display curated in partnership with the Museum of London, which tells our story of the Charterhouse from the Black Death to the present day, as well as our Chapel during opening hours. Visitors can also book onto a tour of our historic buildings and gardens, please see Visit Us for more information. We also have a purpose-built Learning Centre which is a multi-functional space from which we run our Learning Programme for schools.

Our Venue Hire team facilitate use of our historic location for corporate hire, events, filming and weddings.

The Charterhouse has an Anglican history and tradition, but it is now not run as a religious organisation.

What is the Charterhouse mission?

Our mission is to be a community of excellence for the care of older people. We will do this through providing housing, care and support for older people, while sharing our heritage and preserving it for future generations.

Almshouse FAQs

What is an almshouse?

An alsmhouse can be defined as being residential accommodation provided by a charity to meet the organisations’ charitable purpose and occupied under licence by a qualifying beneficiary. Beneficiaries are required to pay a monthly rent or maintenance contribution, that is not at a level that will cause financial hardship. Alsmhouses have a unique legal status and are governed by charity law. You can find out more about almshouses here.

Who lives at the Charterhouse?

Our residents are people aged 60 or over with a housing, financial and social need, wishing to live independently in a community environment. They are not required to come from a particular background or profession. We currently provide a home for around 40 residents. Residents of the almshouse are known as ‘Brothers’, although since 2017 this has also included women.

Why are the Charterhouse residents known as Brothers?

The title dates back to the foundation of the charity in the 17th Century, where the beneficiaries of the charity, who were then exclusively men, were referred to as the ‘Poor Brothers’ of the Charterhouse. The historic term remains in use for the residents living in this community today but is no longer gender-specific.

How does a new resident, or Brother, get selected?

A short list of qualifying applicants progress to a thorough application process when housing become available, there are background checks and several interview stages to ensure the person would really be happy living in and contributing to the existing established community. Find out more about applying to be a Brother here.

How do you support the Brothers?

Our Care Service is designed to help empower our residents, and is person-centred. We provide up to 24-hour Domiciliary care and support by trained staff designed for individuals who need some assistance but can live independently. Domiciliary Care and Supported Living both aim to promote independence and improve the quality of life for those requiring support, and they cater to different levels of need and living arrangements post individual assessment.

Are you properly trained in safeguarding?

Our staff and volunteers are trained in, and committed to, the prevention of all forms of potential abuse. All parties involved in the running of the Charterhouse must attend safeguarding training as part of their induction, and when required by the Safeguarding Officer. This is in line with the London multiagency adult safeguarding policy and procedure .

Organisational FAQs

Where can I find your annual report?

You can view previous annual reports on the Charity Commission website under the name of Suttons Hospital in Charterhouse. Our latest Annual Report can be found here.

How is the Charterhouse financially constituted?

Incoming Resources: Income from the Charity’s investment and property portfolio, almshouse residents’ Contributions and other income are all accounted for on a receipts basis. Donations received for the general purposes of the Hospital Fund are credited to unrestricted funds, and those that are subject to the specific wishes of donors credited to the relevant fund.

Donations raised by specific fundraising for the Charterhouse Fund, and unrestricted legacies, are included in full on a receivable basis, and allocated to that Fund.

Carthusia Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hospital Fund which conducts all non-primary purpose trading activities for the Charterhouse. It operates on an arms-length basis from the Charity and has a separate board of directors. The share capital of £1 is wholly owned by the Hospital Fund. All profit before tax is Gift-Aided to the Hospital. The accounts of the company are consolidated within those of the charity.

Resources expended: Resources expended are included in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis, inclusive of any VAT which cannot be recovered. Liabilities are recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the Charity to the expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Costs of raising funds include investment expenses and management fees, including fees charged for revaluations and disposals, are charged directly against the capital of the respective funds. These fees can be specifically identified by reference to the investments held by each respective fund.

Why did you open the Charterhouse to the public?

Whist the charity exists to provide a home for the almshouse residents, we want to share access to our heritage site for everyone to enjoy. In 2017 we opened up access to our site thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and created a visitor centre, museum display and shop, as well as an enhanced tour offer to see our historic rooms and building and events programme. The income generated from ticket sales, the shop and donations is a very important contribution towards the maintenance and conservation of our buildings.

What is the relationship between the Charterhouse and Charterhouse School?

In 1611, Thomas Sutton’s legacy established the Charterhouse as both an almshouse for older men and a school for boys. Over time the school grew both in size and reputation, and by the late 1800s the site was becoming overcrowded. In addition there were challenges managing the almshouse and its residents alongside the school. At this time the Public Schools Commission of 1864 (the Clarendon Commission), recommended that the School move out of London. The Clarendon Commission also recommended separating the governance of public schools from their founding charities, not just at the Charterhouse. The Public Schools Act of 1868 authorised changing the constitutions of Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Westminster and Winchester. Part of the Charterhouse site was sold in order to finance the building of the Charterhouse school in Godalming, Surrey, and the school moved there in in 1872 while the almshouse remained at the Charterhouse in London.

The association between the School and the London Charterhouse continues to this day with representative ‘observers’ sitting on each Governing Board. The Charterhouse’s charity ‘scheme’ lists two objects – the relief of the beneficiaries in the almshouse and the advancement of education by the provision of financial support to Charterhouse School. This annual amount delivered to the School is based on an agreed historical calculation and is used to provide bursaries to students in need.

Charterhouse School and the Charterhouse in London continue to enjoy a close relationship, due to our shared foundation. The Charterhouse hosts an annual Founder’s Day service and dinner for the School to commemorate Thomas Sutton, and pupils regularly come to the Charterhouse for educational visits.

Why is the Charterhouse also called Sutton’s Hospital?

The Charterhouse was originally called The Hospital of King James in the County of Middlesex. This is because King James I (or King James VI of Scotland) was the first Royal governor of the Charterhouse, and the term ‘hospital’ was then used to describe the provision of shelter rather than being an exclusively medical term. Today our official name is Sutton’s Hospital in Charterhouse, but we operate under the name the Charterhouse.

What do the Governors of the Charterhouse do?

The Assembly of Governors was established by Thomas Sutton in 1611 to oversee his charitable foundation, and it continues this role today. The Charterhouse has 15 Governors, who are also the Charity Trustees, at least one Royal Governors and an Archiepiscopal Governor. The responsibility for the management of the Charterhouse is vested in its Charity Trustees, while Royal Governors and the Archiepiscopal Governor have no management responsibilities and are not Charity Trustees. Each Governor takes a specific interest in the individual welfare of up to three Brothers.

What are the Charterhouse plans for the future?

The Charity’s objects continue to be the provision of accommodation and care for the residents, or Brothers, and financial support for bursaries to Charterhouse School. The Governors are also aware of their responsibilities to maintain the Grade I and II listed historic buildings in which the Charity operates. The Governors propose to implement their strategy by:

Overseeing all aspects of the welfare of the almshouse residents;
Overseeing the historic share of income to support bursaries for Charterhouse School;
Maintaining and enhancing public access to the Charterhouse.

Public use of Charterhouse Square

The fenced area in Charterhouse Square is part of the private Charterhouse estate, and it is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday. The Charterhouse has a permit to use the Square for up to 12 licenced private events per year and collaborates with various partners to host public events e.g. concerts, outdoor theatre etc throughout the year. Permission must be requested for any corporate photography or commercial business (e.g. personal training, sport etc) – please apply to our Events team.

Can I volunteer at the Charterhouse?

We would love to hear from potential volunteers, and for more information please visit the Volunteering page.

Can I attend the chapel services?

All our services held in the Chapel are open to the public, and outside of opening hours our Security Officer will be happy to admit anyone who would like to attend. Find out more about our services by visiting the Chapel page.