On the outskirts of The City, in Clerkenwell, at the end of St John’s Lane, there stands a large medieval-looking stone gatehouse: St John’s Gate. Step through it, and you end up in…a cobbled street not that different from what you left behind, actually. But 500 hundred years ago, you would have found yourself in the Priory of the Order of St John, the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of St John, also known as the Knights Hospitaller, and their history is captivating!
At a glance...
- 1 The Museum of St John: practical information
- 2 The Order of St John: 900 years of history
- 3 First there was Jerusalem
- 4 St John’s Gate: a fascinating history of its own
- 5 The Mediterranean chapter
- 6 Victorian times: a revival of the Order in the UK
- 7 At the Museum of the Order of St John
- 8 The Cloister garden, a true hidden gem
- 9 Where to go next?
The Museum of St John: practical information
Address: St John’s Gate, 26 St John’s Lane, EC1M 4DA
Website: https://museumstjohn.org.uk/
Opening Times: Wed – Sat 10 -17
Cost: the museum galleries are free, though donations are welcome. No pre-booking required. Visiting the church, the crypt and the upstairs rooms in the gate can only be done by booking a tour. (Cost: £12)
Nearest transport: Farringdon (Circle line, Hammersmith & City line, Metropolitan line, Elizabeth Line)
The Order of St John: 900 years of history
The Knights Hospitaller were a catholic military order with roots in the Kingdom of Jerusalem towards the end of the 11th century, at the start of the Crusades.
They were one of several such orders; the Templars are probably the most famous. Unlike the Templars, the Order of St John still exists today, although it is no longer religious (nor, indeed, military). Its headquarters are in Rome, and it has a seat in the United Nations.
The Museum of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell tells the story of the Order and its charitable arm in the UK, St John Ambulance, as well as the story of St John’s Gate and the Priory of the Order of St John.
First there was Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, the hospice run by the Order was situated next to a monastery devoted to St John the Baptist, hence the name by which the Order became known. The mission of the Order was to care for sick and poor pilgrims regardless of race or faith and to defend Christian interests in the Holy Land and – later – in the Mediterranean. The priory in Clerkenwell was their English headquarters, established in the 12th Century.

In England, the Order of St John was dissolved by Henri XIII in the 16th century and, over the next few centuries, the priory was torn apart for building materials. Bits of the church ended up in the first version of Somerset House on the Strand. A tiny fragment is embedded in a wall between two garage doors at the headquarters of the Exmouth branch of the St John Ambulance. Where the rest went is lost in the mist of history.
The dissolution marked the end of a chapter for the Order of St John in Britain. Its lasting legacy persists now in the layout and names of the streets in the area, as well as further afield: St John’s Wood in north London is named after the Order, who owned estates there.
St John’s Gate: a fascinating history of its own
St John’s Gate looks as good as new. And if you’re thinking “Blimey, it’s in really good state for something that was built so long ago, they sure knew how to build back then!”, you’d be somewhat mistaken. The gate was indeed built in 1505, but little of the original remain; today’s gate owes much to Victorian restoration. After Clerkenwell priory was no more, it became a printing house, most notably for The Gentleman’s Magazine, a monthly magazine of news and a wide range of topics founded in 1731. Samuel Johnson, one of London’s most famous sons, was a contributor, and had offices in the gatehouse. There’s a copy of the magazine in the museum; it looks impressively heavy…not quite a magazine as we know them today. Other notable uses include being the childhood home of William Hogarth whose father ran a tavern in the gate.

The Mediterranean chapter
After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 13th century, the Order established several successive strongholds in the Mediterranean to fight the advance of the Ottoman Empire. First they regrouped for a short time in Cyprus, then they were based in Rhodes for 200 years. After they were driven away from Rhodes, they established their headquarters in Malta. The island was given to them in 1530 by King Charles V of Spain, against an annual payment of one falcon.
The Order would rule Malta until 1798. They gave the island its capital city, Valetta, named after one of the Grand Masters of the Order, Jean de la Valette (it was he who laid the foundation stone). They also gave Malta its national symbol, the Maltese cross.

In 1798, Napoleon conquered Malta. Forced to abandon the island, the Order splintered into several factions and lost a lot of its power. The original Order eventually settled in Rome, still its headquarters today, and is now knows as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (or – more snappily – the Sovereign Military Order of Malta).
Victorian times: a revival of the Order in the UK
In the UK, the Order was revived in Victorian times under the name “the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem”. In the 1870s, it bought back St John’s Gate. It also established two charitable arms, the St John’s Ambulance Brigade and the St John’s Ambulance Association.
In time these two would merge together and become St John’s Ambulance, a charity centred on providing first aid and the support of national emergency medical support. This was the first of what would become a network of 40 such organizations all over the world.
St John’s Gate now serves as offices and headquarters, as well as housing the museum, which first opened in 1935.
At the Museum of the Order of St John
The museum galleries are in two parts: once inside, turn left for the St John Ambulance section, turn right for the history of the Order.
There’s a second site on St John’s Square, where you’ll find the Priory Church of the Order of St John and the Cloister garden. The current church is a post-war building, located approximately where the original 12th century church and its successors stood.

The original church was based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, then as now a holy site, and had a round nave, a design that’s also seen in the Temple Church in Temple, or further afield, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Cambridge. The outline of the nave of that original church is marked by a circle of cobblestones set in the paving slabs at the front of the building.

Today, the only surviving part of the church is the 1000 years old subterranean crypt, which is one of the oldest trace of 12th century London.
And then there’s the garden. Like the church, it’s a post-war reconstruction, not an original feature, but it’s no less delightful for that. Set in a secluded courtyard, it’s planted with shrubbery and medicinal herbs that echo the ones that would have been used by the Hospitallers. At the back of the garden, a cloister houses a memorial to those members of St John Ambulance who lost their lives during both world wars.

It is dotted with benches and chairs that welcome weary travellers (or office workers in their lunch hour). At the entrance, on a bright yellow trolley, there’s a little library. Of course, the available selection of books fluctuates, but it’s a wonderful touch. Grab a book, and while away some time in an oasis of peacefulness. Pay it back by leaving a book behind, if you’re so inclined. Truly one of the most magical spots in London!

The garden is open to all; the church (including the crypt) can only be visited by booking a guided tour.
Where to go next?
Why not go visit the Museum of the Home in Hoxton? You’re not that far away. (Hop on bus 243 from St John Street, or take the Elizabeth Line from Farringdon to Whitechapel, and then the Overground from Whitechapel to Hoxton.)
Or you could go shopping in Clerkenwell, or have lunch in Farringdon?
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