Hi, my name is Osman and I’m doing my year 10 work experience at the Charterhouse for a week. I hadn’t heard about the Charterhouse before coming here, and I now know that this is the case for most people as it only opened its doors a year ago. After being here for a week, I now think that the Charterhouse will probably be the no.1 place to visit in London in 5 years time because of the hard work I’ve seen by every single member of staff behind the scenes.
The first day I arrived at the Charterhouse, Monday, I thought the building was like a maze with all its halls and corridors. After my welcome and induction I was able to look around the building and that’s when I saw that every hall and corridor has a history of its own. I ate lunch with the Brothers in the Great Hall, which was great. They all had different stories and a great sense of humour.
Tuesday morning, I was at the front desk helping the front of house staff and volunteers and hearing about their roles. This is when I realised that the museum isn’t really the museum of the site. In most museums the museum is the whole building, however, the museum here is only a small glimpse. The real history in this site is the whole building. Every step taken into a different space has a different history and story. In the afternoon I enjoyed a Brother-led of the Charterhouse. I was surprised that the Brothers knew so much about the place. To be honest, the facts went in one ear and out the other, but it was still pretty fun listening to a Brother of the Charterhouse.
Wednesday was office-based and it gave me a chance to see how the Charterhouse is run behind the scenes. I was tasked with carrying out research for the upcoming Summer Festival (21 June 2018) and I recommend that you go to it as I did some research on it and that’s how you know its going to be good (in all seriousness just go check it out).
On Thursday I was at reception again with the front of house staff and volunteers. The Freemasons had booked the great chamber for a meeting and one of the naughty staff convinced me to go and look at the setup of their meeting. Of course, I insisted that I am a sensible person, but I went anyways. The set up was very unusual, and we tried to guess what they used the items for. If a Freemason is reading this, remember it wasn’t me!
Today, Friday, is my last day working here and I would have never guessed I’d be sad to leave. However, I now I feel very connected to the Charterhouse. I attended a staff meeting this morning and it showed me that they have lots of future plans and I feel very lucky to be able experience it before it gets huge.
Overall, the Charterhouse is a place where I learnt different things each day of my placement. A place where history goes all the way from the 14th century to modern day – 669 years. The impact it had on me in a week was unbelievable and is thanks to all its kind staff and very likable Brothers. I absolutely loved the place and I’d love to come back in the future.
Osmangazi Gaygusuz
Year 10 pupil
The Bridge Academy Hackney