This blog is written by Maggie Moorhouse, volunteer researcher.
Carthusian monastery to ‘castle’ – Charterhouse since 1940
In 1940 Charterhouse was taken over by Coventry Corporation on the death of Colonel William Wyley, having been bequeathed by him to the people of Coventry for the purpose of a museum or public park. In the following years Charterhouse was used for a variety of purposes, but all had to comply with the terms of Colonel Wyley’s will.
During the Second World War (1939-45) many of the art treasures of Coventry were stored in the house for comparative safety against air raids and parts of the building also served as a Civil Defence headquarters for air raid wardens and other services.
Subsequently, in 1946 the decision was made that Charterhouse should become a home for aged Coventry men, but it closed in 1954 as the property was regarded as unsuitable for permanent use as an old people’s home.
In the 1960s the Charterhouse was in use for young people.
The 1962 Cathedral Festival to celebrate the opening of the new Coventry Cathedral was the stimulus for Charterhouse to become a youth hostel. With many young people expected to arrive in the city for the Festival, the City Council had agreed to offer the Charterhouse rent free to the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) for use in the spring and summer months. It offered 20-40 beds on a temporary basis, using just the first two floors. The hostel was staffed during the months it was open by Coventry members of the YHA.
Coventry was one of the first cities in the world to twin with another. The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalized in 1944 and, after the end of the war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation. Further twinnings were between Coventry and German cities Kiel in 1947 and Dresden in 1956.
The Kiel Exchange, organised by Coventry Education Department between school students from the two cities, ran for many years in the 1960s. This link further resulted in young people from a sports club in the West German city staying at Charterhouse in 1966 and 1967, nicknaming it ‘Kiel Castle’.
In the following decades, Charterhouse had many uses, for social, sporting and educational purposes.
The Umbrella Club, was an organisation for all interested in the arts. It began in 1955 at a house in Little Park Street, then moved to Queen Victoria Road before relocating to the Charterhouse in 1972. The club’s journal ‘Umbrella’ is mentioned in Philip Larkin’s biography. The club was registered as the Coventry Arts Umbrella Ltd and received an annual grant from West Midlands Arts Association to help it promote the arts in the city.
Many other clubs and societies also used the premises for classes and meetings, and the grounds were used at one time for an outdoor theatre. Numerous sporting activities, including archery and the Coventry Boys’ Club holiday club games were held there. Charterhouse was the base for the Coventry Parks Department and also home for their social club.
As time went by, use of the premises for educational purposes continued, including by Tile Hill College in the 1990s, which introduced a new unit known as Charterhouse Enterprises.
In 2012 Coventry Charterhouse Preservation Trust acquired the site, three years later becoming Historic Coventry Trust. National Lottery Heritage funding and various other grants enabled extensive construction work and it reopened to the public in April 2023.
The current chapter in the story of Charterhouse sees it being managed by the National Trust – click here for visitor information and events.
