A new Community Engagement Programme was launched at the Charterhouse in summer 2019, as part of our Beautification and Refreshment of the Great Chamber, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The aim was to reach diverse young audiences (18-30s) and older people in the local area, who were not previously aware of the Charterhouse.

The Charterhouse is full of stories and we used the beautifully restored Great Chamber and its portraits to help tell some of them. We engaged with our Communities, including the new Charterhouse Young Community – in a programme of creative workshops. Here’s a link to a blog post by and about the Young Community: Meet our Charterhouse Young Community team – The Charterhouse

These communities then told us their stories and together we created a Soundscape featuring voices and music from the past and present – capturing our living history. We adapted our plans in response to Covid-19 and created a new online Community Engagement programme.

The Soundscape (see below) has been a great tool for creative engagement across our communities, including Open House London in September 2021 which was lots of fun. If you haven’t already had a chance to listen to our Community Engagement Soundscape the link is below. Enjoy! We are also planning an exciting outdoor Exhibition in Charterhouse Square Spring-Summer 2022 and the Soundscape will be an integral part of this…watch this space!

Highlights:

• Charterhouse Lives

A monthly Zoom event which was set up in lockdown was very popular! It was informal way of bringing our communities together with a behind the scenes peek at life behind the walls at The Charterhouse.

• Monthly BlindAid Creative Writing Workshops (Blind & visually impaired adults)

BlindAid is one of our Community Partners and we are delighted to have been working with them since the beginning of the programme in 2019, when they visited The Charterhouse for a tactile tour of the Chapel, talks by staff & Brothers and coffee afternoons. We moved online in lockdown and had a busy, sociable & creative time.

• Creative Writing Masterclasses with Claremont Project (older people, mainly Islington based)

Following the successful Zoom Art Workshops with the Claremont Project, we facilitated a series of Creative Writing Masterclasses with a smaller group of older people, where we were able to dig deeper into our Charterhouse Great Chamber portraits and take creative inspiration from them.

• Charterhouse, Claremont & Co Connecting Communities Coffee Club

This was a chance to bring together those who are most isolated across our communities. We co-hosted fortnightly Zoom Coffee Clubs with the Claremont Project’s Clinical Services Manager. We also invited our friends at BlindAid to join us and there was always a Charterhouse resident or two to help welcome everybody. This was a small and sociable wellbeing meetup, where we shared a virtual cuppa and got to know each other better though discussion and icebreaker games.

• Community Engagement Forum Meetings

Our Charterhouse Community Engagement partners were an essential part of the Programme and the Forum was formed in 2019m and continued with regular online meetings during the pandemic. There was a real need for local support and there was no shortage of ideas flying around during our meetings! We will be further developing links withIslington Alzheimer’s Society, Arts in Care Homes (NAPA), Flourishing Lives, St Luke’s Community CentreBarbican, & London Museum who all have a focus on engagement with older people, including those living with dementia.

Introducing our Great Chamber Soundscape – an aural journey around a room, its history and its relevance today

Our Soundscape takes you on a journey through the Great Chamber at the Charterhouse, using our 3D tour as a framework. It is not meant to be a replica of the original 3D tour but rather an immersive, candlelight experience. You can click on 16 different Points of Interest as you travel through time and listen to the voices of our ancient Governors, and individuals from local communities who have attended our recent workshops and events. (Best experienced with headphones!)

Huge thanks for your involvement in this Soundscape:

BlindAid:

Seona McKinnon
Mahendra Rastogi
Grace Roach
Clarissa Ferguson

The Poetry Society:

Julia Bird
Caleb Parkin – Freelancer for Poetry Society – Bristol City Poet

Poets:

Tara Griffin
Nadia Lines

Thanks also to Charterhouse Brothers Rakesh & Brian for taking part in these workshops and telling the group about daily life & rituals at the Charterhouse.

Charterhouse Community Engagement Volunteers:

Josh Rawlinson
Francesca Silverton

Tech:

Mat Dobson & team – BYO
Kevin Carter – CHD Works

Charterhouse Young Community:

Sadie Andrew
Gerard Westhoff
Avery Parsons-Grayson
John Bainbridge
Natalia Albin

Claremont Project:

Sewkin Keshani
Lynn Cardy
Tsitsi Masukume
Katrina Regala
Stephen Bush
Geraldine Adams
Adrienne Charalambou

Guildhall School of Music and Drama – String Trio:

Violin: Gwyneth Nelmes
Viola: Isobel Doncaster
Cello: Jonah Spindel

Trinity Laban:

Harp and Composition: Rebecca Morée Galian
Cello: Rebecca Burden
Flute: Maisie Whiteman
Guitar: Luke Tyrrell
Voice: Polly Green
Mandora: Chris Hirst

 

The Great Chamber © 2020 by The Charterhouse, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund is licensed under CC BY 4.0