Donate an object

Thank you for your interest in donating an object to the Charterhouse collection. Please see the below information for more details about the acquisitions procedure.

What we collect

The Charterhouse collects objects which fulfil one of the following criteria:

  1. Direct relevance to the history of the Charterhouse site and all phases of the Charterhouse’s history – as monastery, mansion and Sutton’s Hospital. (‘Site’ includes Charterhouse Square and  parts of Clerkenwell formerly part of the Charterhouse estate)
  2. Biographical material related to Thomas Sutton
  3. Items that record significant aspects of the contemporary life of the Charterhouse
  4. Items that significantly enhance the Waley-Cohen collection of library and archive material related to William Makepeace Thackeray
    We also collect objects which can be used to engage learning groups. These objects are not formally accessioned but form part of our “handling” collection.

What happens if your object is accepted?

  • Your item will be stored or displayed in appropriate environmental conditions
  • It may be included in temporary exhibitions or loaned to other Accredited institutions
  • It will be made available for research by our community and other interested parties

Why might we decline an offer?

We are not able to accept every object that is offered to us. There are a number of reasons for this including:

  • We already have a similar object in our collection
  • It does not fit with our collecting policy (see above criteria)
  • There isn’t enough information about the history of the object
  • The object is in poor condition and would be difficult to preserve
  • The object is too large for the Charterhouse to store or display
  • The object is offered on a long-term loan basis
  • There are specific conditions attached to the donation offer

If your object is not suitable for our collection we will try to advise you of another institution that may be interested.

How to donate an item

Please contact the Museum and Collections Manager before bringing in your objects so we can advise whether it fulfils our acquisitions criteria.
Please supply as much information as you can, including a photograph if possible.
As each donation is checked on a case-by-case basis it may take up to 6 weeks to respond to your enquiry.

Valuations

We regret that we cannot give a valuation for any object.

If you have questions about the potential tax implications of a donation, talk to an accountant, solicitor or independent tax advisor.

How to get in touch

If you have any questions please contact the Museum and Collections Manager on 0203 319 3780 or gabriella.swaffield@thecharterhouse.org