News

Thomas Cromwell and the London Charterhouse: A lecture delivered by Diarmaid MacCulloch

4th June 2026

Thomas Cromwell and the London Charterhouse: A lecture delivered by Diarmaid MacCulloch

Join us in our historic Chapel for a lecture by historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of Thomas Cromwell: A Life. The Chapel, which originally served as the monks’ chapter house is one of the buildings Cromwell himself may have visited during the turbulent 1530s.

Thomas Cromwell rose rapidly to power, becoming Henry VIII’s chief minister and a driving force behind the English Reformation. As the architect of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, he oversaw the suppression of the London Charterhouse, a prestigious Carthusian monastery on the edge of the City, and the subsequent imprisonment and execution of 16 of its monks. Professor MacCulloch will explore this pivotal moment in history, and how the Charterhouse was subsequently transformed into an aristocratic mansion, and later an almshouse which it remains to this day.

Lecture – 6.00-7.00pm
Drinks reception – 7.00-8.00pm

£20 (£18 concession)

 

Portrait of Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein the Younger c. 1532–33. The Frick Collection, New York. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty

24th July 2025

The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty

In March 1603, Queen Elizabeth the last Tudor monarch, lay dying at Richmond Palace. The queen’s ministers clustered round her bedside, urging her to name her successor – something she had stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath, she whispered that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. She died shortly afterwards, and the throne of England passed peacefully from Tudor to Stuart. Or so we’ve been led to believe.

Bestselling author, historian and broadcaster Tracy Borman joins us for this year’s Thomas Sutton lecture, for and illustrated talk based on her new book,and will reveal the shocking truth behind one of history’s best-kept secrets.

Doors open 17:45, Lecture at 18:00 – 19:00,  Drinks reception 19:00- 20:00.

 

1611 Society Lecture 2025 – Lucy Hughes-Hallett

23rd January 2025

1611 Society Lecture 2025 – Lucy Hughes-Hallett

The Handsomest Man in Europe: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham

Award-winning biographer Lucy Hughes-Hallett tells the story of the dazzling George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who was the beloved favourite of King James I and first minister to his son Charles I.

Buckingham was a celebrated dancer in court masques, one of the first great art-collectors in England, and – in the eyes of Parliament – the ’cause of all our miseries”.

He stood at the centre of a great political drama which saw strong men weeping in the Commons Chamber- the tussle between two kings defending their royal prerogative, and Parliamentarians struggling to protect citizen’s legal rights.  His contemporaries called him a meteor, because he rose so far and so fast, and because, like a meteor, he fell, assassinated at the age of 36.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase on the evening.

The Thomas Sutton Lecture 2024

2nd September 2024

The Thomas Sutton Lecture 2024

Paintings and sculpture are integral to the decorative schemes of the English country house. They are indicators of taste, connoisseurship and education. In this fascinating lecture renowned historian, David Adshead, will explore how the art gallery has evolved within such historic homes. He will take us on a journey charting how these spaces have transformed and adapted over successive generations – as locations for entertainment, as spaces of leisure and as the embodiment of their owners’ social status.

About the Speaker

David Adshead is the Director of The Georgian Group, and a director of the educational charity The Attingham Trust. He was formerly the Head Curator and Architectural Historian of the National Trust and is a past chairman of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. He has published widely on British architecture and historic houses and their collections. Books include: Wimpole: Architectural Drawings and Topographical Views (2007), and Hardwick Hall: A Great Old Castle of Romance, co-edited with David Taylor (2016).

*AT CAPACITY* Bees, Bugs & Butterflies: Pollinating London Together at the Charterhouse

4th June 2024

*AT CAPACITY* Bees, Bugs & Butterflies: Pollinating London Together at the Charterhouse

Join us for an afternoon talk and tour to discover work supporting biodiversity in our gardens and green spaces.

Pollinating London Together (PLT) is an initiative that is raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and pollinators, especially in the City of London and its immediate surroundings. Dr Konstantinos Tsiolis, Pollinator Ecologist at PLT, has been surveying pollinating insects in the Charterhouse gardens and the local area. His work will help shape our efforts to improve biodiversity on our site. Konstantinos will deliver a short talk to share his findings, followed by a walk around our gardens with the Garden team. Hopefully we will spot some pollinators in action!

*SOLD OUT* – 1611 Society Lecture: The Cathedral Architecture of Europe with Simon Jenkins

16th January 2024

*SOLD OUT* – 1611 Society Lecture: The Cathedral Architecture of Europe with Simon Jenkins

This year’s 1611 Society Lecture with Simon Jenkins is now SOLD OUT. Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets, and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 13 March.

Renowned public speaker, journalist and author Simon Jenkins is delivering this year’s 1611 Society Lecture on Europe’s cathedrals which are among the most sensational structures anywhere in the world and among humankind’s greatest creations. He will be joining us in the Great Chamber to talk about Europe’s history and the stories behind these wonders, highlighting the cathedral’s central role in the European imagination. Simon travelled across Europe – from Chartres to York, Cologne to Florence, Toledo to Moscow and Stockholm to Seville researching for his new 2021 book on the subject which illuminates old favourites and highlights new discoveries and which forms the inspiration for the lecture.

Simon Jenkins is a regular contributor to both the Guardian and The Sunday Times, as well as broadcasting for the BBC. His career began at Country Life magazine and continued as a writer for the Times Educational Supplement, the Economist (political editor) and the Sunday Times (books editor). He served on the board of British Rail and London Transport in the 1980s and was Deputy Chairman of English Heritage and a Millennium Commissioner. Simon was Journalist of the Year in 1988 and Columnist of the Year in 1993. He has been Chairman of the National Trust since November 2008, and he continues to foster a great enthusiasm for the architectural heritage of Britain and Europe. His books include numerous works on architecture, the press and politics.