Charterhouse

A lovely corner of old London. The original Charterhouse was a Carthusian monastery founded in 1371. It is on the north side of a leafy square, which was a plague pit in 1348, and never built on, I guess for superstitious reasons. Crossrail is passing almost directly underneath, which has allowed some excavations. The plague bones that they have found are said to be from people who were taller than the British average at the time, which has led to speculation that they were foreigners - curious!

The monastery was closed by Henry VIII in 1537 and eventually bought by Thomas Sutton who turned it into a school and almshouse. The school moved to Surrey in the late 19th century. Today it is still an almshouse, home to 60 retired men, known as "The Brothers". They include teachers, clergymen, writers and editors, musicians and artists.