The Charterhouse

The Charterhouse occupies a former Carthusian monastery on Charterhouse Square, refounded as a charity through Thomas Sutton's 1611 bequest and still run today as Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse. It houses an almshouse for around forty residents known as Brothers, alongside a museum display developed with the London Museum that traces the site from medieval priory to Tudor mansion to almshouse. The Great Chamber holds Restoration-era portraits, and the chapel holds services daily. Guided tours are led in part by the Brothers themselves, who describe the building from the perspective of people living there rather than from a fixed historical script. Entry to the museum, chapel and shop is free and does not require booking. The charity's income still funds housing for older Londoners with a housing need, continuing the purpose set out in Sutton's original bequest.