39. Visit to The Charterhouse

On Friday 3 February a group of Water Conservators, undeterred by the train strike, had a fascinating guided tour of The Charterhouse, originally a monastery, then stately home, then school and now an almshouse (providing accommodation to some 40 brethren, male and female).

Before the tour commenced the Master of the Charterhouse went out of his way formally to welcome the Master Water Conservator and showed us a map of the original water supply to the monastery from springs in Clerkenwell (this was before Myddelton’s New River). Medieval monasteries had water supply systems which were very advanced for their times, perhaps in a memory of the Roman villas which they resemble in various other ways. (One can see the Church promoting similar ‘advanced’ water engineering elsewhere, for instance in Wells in Somerset - see blog 36 on Bishop Beckynton).

The subsequent tour included a visit to the remains of the original cloister and the story of the monks who died for their faith resisting King Henry VIII (three of whom, John Houghton, Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster, were finally canonised in the last century). This was followed by a tour of the fine Hall and the Great Chamber belonging to the property’s subsequent possessors. In due course Charterhouse then became the original home home of the public school of the same name - as is witnessed by the graffiti carved by young scholars on one of the pillars and on the pews in the Chapel. After the school decamped to less austere surroundings, Charterhouse took on its current role as an almshouse.

It is altogether a fascinating and beautiful piece of history only a stone’s throw from the bustle of Smithfield Market - well worth a visit.

Afterwards we repaired to the Fox and Anchor where we had the fine old pub virtually to ourselves due to the strike for a delightful and leisurely lunch.

Our thanks to Georgina Drummond and Christine Jarvis for organising this lovely event which combined history (watery and otherwise) with great good fellowship. Book now for our next Company social event, Mudlarking on the Thames on Wednesday 15 March (repeated by popular demand).

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