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National Trust to run historic monastery building

The National Trust An old-looking large red brick house with tall chimneys with a green garden and tall grasses in the foregroundThe National Trust
The Charterhouse was established as a monastery in the 14th Century

The National Trust will take over the running of a Grade I listed former monastery.

The Charterhouse in Coventry will be the trust's first site in the city, after it came to an agreement with the Historic Coventry Trust, which owns the site.

The 14th Century site was restored by the Historic Coventry Trust at a cost of £11.9m and it is due to reopen to the public in the spring.

The former monastery was founded in 1381 and is home to a well preserved collection of 15th and 16th Century wall paintings.

Ian Harrabin, chairman of Historic Coventry Trust, said the "expertise and huge membership" of the National Trust would "open a new chapter for the Charterhouse".

He said this would secure the future of the building and build its reputation as a tourist attraction.

A man with brown hair and a grey beard with glasses and a blue coat standing on a grass lawn in front of an old red brick building with white-framed windows
Ian Harrabin said he believed the National Trust's expertise would secure the future of the building

The Charterhouse was once one of nine Carthusian Houses, a Catholic religious order, and grew until the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII.

The site, in Heritage Park just outside the city centre, was on Historic England's at risk register in 2013 and repairs overseen by Historic Coventry Trust began in 2019.

All works on the roof and external buildings were finished in 2022 and Oli Burke from the National Trust said they had done a "fantastic job of restoring this historically important building".

He said they had created "a very special place for the community to enjoy and for those from further afield to discover".

A medieval wall painting showing a saintly figure with a halo facing a man who appears to be a knight and another figure
The Charterhouse is home to a well-preserved collection of medieval wall art

As well as the historic Charterhouse itself, the site has a landscaped walled garden, wildlife pond, community orchard and play area.

The city council described it as a "natural oasis in the heart of Coventry".

The agreement with the National Trust involves it working on wider plans for Heritage Park and green areas linking up with the city centre.

A man with dark hair, glasses and a dark coat standing in front of a decorative wall painting
Oli Burke praised the work of the Historic Coventry Trust

The partnership agreement gives the National Trust responsibility for the main building, the gardens and the car park, with a local provider to run a cafe at the site.

Mr Burke said the National Trust had "a lot of experience in managing special places for visitors to enjoy and all the nuts and bolts that involves".

He said a programme of events for the spring was being worked on and it was looking to bring in more volunteers, with recruitment days planned for 18 and 21 January.

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