Museum of The Order of St John

Discover a hidden jewel in the City of London

The Museum Entrance at St John's Gate

Several friends have recommended a visit to the Museum of The Order of St John. Here is some background information:

‘The Museum tells the story of the Order of St John, from its origins in the 11^th century to its role today with St John Ambulance and the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.

The Hospitaller brothers both fought and nursed the sick, in the Holy Land and on their island fortresses of Rhodes and Malta.’

Detail of St John's Gate

The Museum occupies two sites in Clerkenwell, London: St John’s Gate, which dates from 1504; and the Priory Church of St John, Clerkenwell with its surviving twelfth century Crypt.

It is not only the artefacts housed within the Museum that tell a story, the Museum buildings themselves have a unique history. St John’s Gate was the entrance to the former Priory of St John and after Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, housed the office of the Master of the Revels. It was here that Shakespeare came to license his plays.

Find out more about this building’s colourful history by visiting the Museum’s website here.

Visits to the Museum of the Order of St John are free of charge. For guided tours a donation of £5 is suggested (£4 concessions).

(A big thank you to Mike Glaeser for the photographs)