Heritage Britain

Places to Visit in Clerkenwell, London

St John's Gate Museum of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell

St John's Gate Museum of the Order of St John

St John's Gate
St John's Lane
Clerkenwell
London
EC1M 4DA
020 7324 4070
020 7336 0587
Email: click here
Website: click here

THE MUSEUM WILL CLOSED FOR STRUCTURAL WORK FROM JULY 2009 UNTIL SUMMER 2010
Please see website for more details)

Discover the rich history of the Knights Hospitaller, a monastic order dedicated to serving the sick and defending the faith, dating back to the time of the Crusades. The Museum of the Order of St. John is found inside St. John’s Gate, built in 1504 and once the entrance to the Knights’ English Priory. Treasures on show include arms and armour, a 15th century Flemish altar piece and decorative drug jars from the monks’ pharmacy. On the tour, visitors see fine collections of painting, furniture and silver from the order’s time on Malta. The tour continues in the 16th century Priory church with its remarkable Norman Crypt, where a dramatic tomb effigy shows Prior Weston wrapped in his shroud.

The Priory has an interesting history independent of the Order. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII used its precincts for storing army supplies and under Elizabeth I, it housed the Revels Office where thirty of Shakespeare’s plays were registered. In the Gate’s east tower, Hogarth’s father ran a coffee house and Edward Cave’s Gentleman’s Magazine was published, with a young Dr Johnson writing the articles.

In Victorian times, St. John Ambulance was founded here, inspired by the medical traditions of the Knights.

This impressive building, its beautiful contents and museum galleries portray a fascinating and wide-ranging history that should not be missed by anyone visiting London.

The Museum is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund

St John's Gate Museum of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell

Facilities
Historic House, Private Group Tours.

Opening Times
Tours: Tues, Friday & Saturday at 11.00am and 2.30 pm.

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