St Hugh's Charterhouse facts for kids
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Parkminster |
| Order | Carthusian |
| Established | 1873 |
| Mother house | Grande Chartreuse, Isère, France |
| Dedicated to | Hugh of Lincoln |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Site | |
| Location | Parkminster, near Cowfold, Horsham, West Sussex, England |
| Coordinates | 50°58′22.84″N 0°16′57.85″W / 50.9730111°N 0.2827361°W |
St Hugh's Charterhouse, also called Parkminster, is a very special monastery located in Cowfold, West Sussex, England. It is the only Carthusian monastery in the United Kingdom that was built after the English Reformation. This means it's a unique place where monks live a quiet life of prayer and work. It is also a Grade II* listed building, which means it's an important historical building.
Contents
The History of Parkminster
How St Hugh's Charterhouse Began
The monastery was started in 1873. At that time, a property known as Picknoll was bought to build a new home for Carthusian monks. These monks were from France and needed a new place to live. The main buildings were constructed between 1876 and 1883. A French architect named Clovis Normand designed the monastery, and he had a lot of money to make it grand.
How Many Monks Live There?
The number of monks living at St Hugh's Charterhouse has changed over the years.
- In 1883, there were 30 monks.
- By 1928, the number grew to 70 monks.
- In 1984, there were 22 monks.
- In January 2017, there were 26 monks living there.
What the Monastery Looks Like
The buildings at St Hugh's Charterhouse are built in a French Gothic Revival style. This style looks like the grand churches and castles from the Middle Ages. A famous expert named Nikolaus Pevsner once said that the monastery's layout is "magnificent" and looks best when seen from above.
Inside the Church and Buildings
The church inside the monastery holds special items called relics. These include relics of Hugh of Lincoln, Saint Boniface, and the Virgin Mary. The church also has a very tall spire, which is like a tall, pointed tower, reaching about 62 meters (203 feet) high.
The monastery also has other important parts:
- A library filled with rare books and old handwritten documents.
- A chapter house where the monks meet. It has pictures showing how some of their earlier monks were martyred (died for their beliefs).
The Great Cloister
One of the most amazing features of St Hugh's Charterhouse is its Great Cloister. A cloister is a covered walkway, usually around a courtyard. This one is about 550 meters (1,800 feet) long, making it one of the longest in the world!
The Great Cloister connects the 34 hermitages (small homes where individual monks live) to the church and other buildings. It surrounds a large area of four acres that includes orchards and the monastery's burial ground. The total length of all the cloisters combined is 1,012 meters (3,320 feet).
Modern Updates: Solar Panels
In 2024, the monastery added 500 solar panels. These panels help the monastery use clean energy from the sun. They are expected to prevent over 2,300 tonnes of CO₂ (carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to climate change) from being released into the air over 20 years. This shows the monastery's commitment to protecting the environment.
See also
In Spanish: Cartuja de Parkminster para niños
