London Charterhouse

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The Charterhouse in 1770

The London Charterhouse is a historic building complex from the 14th century in the London borough of Smithfield, which dates back to a former Charterhouse . The area is located on a square that is called Charterhouse Square after the complex . The Charterhouse was built in 1371 and closed in 1537.

history

Thomas Sutton's grave in the chapel of the Charterhouse
London Charterhouse 2004

The Charterhouse was built in 1371 by Walter de Manny based on plans by the architect Henry Yevele on a former plague cemetery . The Lord Chancellor of Henry VIII, Thomas More , withdrew here to take a break.

At the time of the Protestant Reformation in England, the monastery was abandoned on the orders of Henry VIII . The government was very keen on the approval of the monks, who enjoyed a great reputation among the people because of their deprivation-rich way of life. Since the monks refused to swear the oath on the Supreme Act , which Henry VIII made head of the Church in England, the prior of the Charterhouse, John Houghton , together with the priores of the Carthusians of Beauvale and Axelhome, became a monk of the Order of the Redeemer and a secular priest hanged, gutted and quartered on the place of execution at Tyburn for high treason . Nine monks of the London convent were starved to death in dungeon, and another, Brother William Horne, was also executed on August 4, 1540 with five other Catholics by hanging, disembowelling and quartering. Pope Paul VI beatified eighteen Carthusian martyrs in 1970 . Her memorial day is, along with other martyrs, on the feast of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales .

After the Charterhouse was closed, most of the buildings were preserved. The monks' cell houses were used by instrument makers, while King Heinrich stored hunting equipment in the church. After 1545, the new owner, Edward North, converted the monastery into a Tudor-style mansion with an enclosed courtyard. He had the church torn down and instead created the so-called “great hall” and the “great hall” next door. In 1558, Queen Elizabeth I prepared her coronation celebrations in the rooms.

After Edward North's death in 1564, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, acquired the property and renamed it "Howard House". He added a covered walkway to the buildings, the so-called "Norfolk Cloister", which connected the main building with the tennis court. After Howard was accused of involvement in the Ridolfi conspiracy in 1571 , he was executed the following year.

During the reign of Jacob I , he held court at Howard House during his first stay in London. In May 1611 Thomas Sutton bought the property from Thomas Howard , Norfolk's son and heir. After some renovations, a poor house, a hospital, a school and a chapel were built there . Suttons Testament contained a foundation that benefits impoverished of about 80 men, former soldiers and officials of the royal court, and the maintenance of a school for 40 boys: The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse , shortly Charterhouse . Thomas Sutton's grave is in the chapel of the former Charterhouse. Walter de Manny's coffin was discovered during restoration work.

The Charterhouse School was moved to the Greater London area to Godalming in 1872 and is now one of the most famous private schools in England. The students are still called Carthusians ("Carthusians"). The old people's home, called Sutton's Hospital , has remained.

Use as a film set

The site is often booked as a filming location. The BBC filmed Miss Austen Regrets and two Charles Dickens films here ( Great Expectations , The Secret of Edwin Drood ) . Other films that use the buildings as backdrops include Downton Abbey and Little Dorrit . In 2014, scenes for the historical film Tulip Fever were shot on the site of the former Charterhouse.

literature

Web links

Commons : London Charterhouse  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ IMDb filming locations for The Secret of Edwin Drood
  2. ↑ [1]
  3. ↑ Tulip fever in the IMDb: Filming dates and locations

Coordinates: 51 ° 31  '15.5 " N , 0 ° 5' 59.5"  W.