St Hugh'S Monastery

St Hugh’s Monastery is a Carthusian monastery constructed between 1875 and 1883 in the French Gothic style. The architect was Monsieur Norman of Calais. It is the only Carthusian monastery in England. The layout includes an entrance courtyard, two smaller internal courtyards, and a large cloistered courtyard with an orchard.

The Chapel is a prominent feature of the entrance quadrangle, standing opposite the gate and centrally positioned with its axis at right angles to the west side of the quadrangle. The west front of the Chapel is flanked by spires connected by a balustrade, behind which sits a recessed gable and machicolation. Above the doorway are three windows of two round-headed lights, each with a round-headed tympanum and further machicolation below. The ground floor features an elaborate round-headed Romanesque, or Norman, doorway with clustered shafts and a carved tympanum. A gable topped with a statue surmounts the arch, and two round-headed windows similar to those above are located on either side. A covered and glazed cloister projects around the courtyard, with large round-headed arches. The buildings above are two storeys high with an attic. The construction is of coursed stone. The west side of the quadrangle features six windows and three gabled dormers. The north and south sides have ten windows and five gabled dormers. The gatehouse on the east side has a high round arch with a French Renaissance roof and a two-storey building with four windows on each side. A central clock tower and spire, forming the centre of the east side of the large quadrangle, extends from the west end of the Chapel. The interior of this quadrangle is a plain wall with a glazed cloister. The cells of the fathers are grouped along the north, west, and south sides. Each cell is constructed as a small, L-shaped house of two storeys, with two rooms on each floor and a small corridor for exercise in inclement weather. Behind each cell is a small enclosed garden for exercise in good weather. All windows of the cells overlook these gardens. Each cell has a single door connecting to the cloister on the courtyard’s inner side, and a hatch for passing food.