The Museum of the Order of St John

The unique and fascinating story of an ancient religious military Order, from its origins caring for sick pilgrims in eleventh century Jerusalem, through to its modern-day role with St John Ambulance, the international first aid charity.

What our visitors say

  • “A very enjoyable tour. The guides were marvellous. I look forward to another visit.”
  • "Lovely visit, my 5 year old son enjoyed the children's activity trail which we did together - very engaging, thank you!"
  • "Thank you to the kind man at reception who helped with Dad’s wheelchair! Great museum!"
  • "St John Ambulance saved my life on 1st March 2015 so I came here to learn more. Keep up the good work!"

News and events

Storytelling © MOSJ Click to expand image Storytelling © MOSJ
Free Family Activity

Wednesday 9th August - Wednesday 30th August

12:30pm - 3:30pm
Lotions and Potions Summer Holiday Family Activities

Throughout the summer, explore our beautiful cloister garden and discover the many magical properties of its healing herbs.

All of our craft activities are drop-in and take place between 12:30pm and 3:30pm. The storytelling sessions last for one hour and begin at 1:30pm.

Wednesday 9th August, Medieval Soap Ball Making

Wednesday 16th August, Poisons and Potions

Wednesday 23rd August, St John Ambulance’s 140th Family Fun Day*

Wednesday 30th August, Petal Perfumes and Storytelling

*Please see separate event listing for further details

To find out more about our free family activities, please see our 2017 flyer.

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Free Family Activity

Wednesday 23rd August

12:30pm - 3:30pm
Celebrate St John Ambulance’s 140th Birthday at our Family Fun Day

Come and join us as we celebrate 140 years of first aid! From bear bandaging competitions and first aid demonstrations to crafts and stories from a World War II nurse, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into!

So, if you’re around between 12:30pm- 3:30pm on the 23rd August, why don’t you pop in and learn how to save a life?

Storytelling: 1:30pm and 2:30pm

Family first aid demonstrations: 1pm, 2pm and 3pm

All other activities are drop-in

To find out more about our free family activities, please see our 2017 flyer.

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Public tour cancellation

We are sorry to announce that, owing to an event taking place at the Museum, the 2.30pm public tour on Saturday 26th August will not be taking place.  The Museum galleries will be open as usual.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

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Special Event

Thursday 7th September - Sunday 10th September

The Military Orders: Piety, Pugnacity, Property

From 7th to 10th September 2017, the Museum of the Order of St John will be hosting the seventh international conference of the London Centre for the Study of the Crusades. The Centre was established in 1989 to promote research, discussion, and the dissemination of knowledge in this academic field.

Applications to attend the conference should be made via the conference website.   If you wish to submit a proposal for a paper, the website gives further information on the application process.  The conference standard fee is £100 or, for students, £55. 

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Panorama of Jerusalem by Tristram Ellis, 1897 (LDOSJ 1059) Click to expand image Panorama of Jerusalem by Tristram Ellis, 1897 (LDOSJ 1059)
Exhibition, Free

Saturday 2nd September - Friday 22nd December

Holy City, Holy War: Devotion to the Sacred in Crusader Jerusalem

For the past two years the Museum of the Order of St John has collaborated with the University of Birmingham on the Bearers of the Cross: Material Religion in the Crusading World, 1095–c.1300 research project, thanks to generous funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The project has been exploring the devotional worlds of medieval crusaders through a wide-ranging examination of texts, images and objects. Researchers have been studying the ritual practices crusaders observed, the religious artefacts they treasured, and the sacred spaces they shaped and were shaped by. Central to this work has been a fresh examination of the medieval collections of the Museum of the Order of St John.

Holy City, Holy War: Devotion to the Sacred in Crusader Jerusalem will present some of the highlights from the museum’s medieval and post-medieval collections and introduce some of the themes that have been at the heart of the project’s research.

To find out more about the project, the exhibition, and the museum’s medieval collections, please visit www.bearersofthecross.org.uk and follow @CrusaderMatter on Twitter.

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  • View of the interior of the Priory Church of the Order of St John The Priory Church of the Order of St John. Photography by Shaun Le Gassick
  • View of the interior of the Crypt of the Priory Church of the Order of St John The Crypt. Photography by Shaun Le Gassick
  • View of the Link Gallery of the Museum of the Order of St John The Link Gallery. © MOSJ
  • ALT= The Cloister Garden. © MOSJ
  • ALT= The Chapter Hall. © MOSJ

Blog

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History

St John's Wort

Posted 17 August 2017
Museum of the Order of St John Judi McGinley, Museum Assistant

We think it is fair to say that St John's Wort is the crowing glory of our Cloister Garden. This beautiful flowering herb is easily recognizable by its vibrant yellow petals and matching yellow black tipped stamens. When crushed, the flower buds or... Read more

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ALT="" ©Museum of the Order of St John, London/Jack Hanson 2017
Collection Highlights

Colourful Coins

Posted 11 August 2017
Museum of the Order of St John Jack Hanson, Collections Volunteer

  When the coins minted by Philibert de Naillac (r.1396 - 1421) were brought out from the expansive coin collection in the Museum of the Order of St John, I noticed that a number had become rather tarnished. Unlike other silver coins held by... Read more

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Jack working at a computer, surrounded by coins in a tray, an open book and equipment for weighing and measuring coins
Volunteering

Volunteering with coins!

Posted 10 August 2017
Museum of the Order of St John Jack Hanson, Collections Volunteer

My name is Jack Hanson and I am a history undergraduate at Queen Mary, University of London. The project that I am working on, sponsored by a British Numismatic Society bursary, is to work on documenting the coins of Malta and Rhodes held by the... Read more

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Painting of male and female St John Ambulance cadets, girl is holding an oil lamp" Image by Anna Zinkeisen © Museum of the Order of St John, St John Ambulance.
History

From the Archives: The Story of the 'St John Ambulance Cadets' Painting

Posted 8 August 2017
Museum of the Order of St John Judi McGinley, Museum Assistant

We recently received an enquiry from the curator of a museum in Ontario, Canada who wanted some information pertaining to a framed poster which was discovered in one of their store rooms. The poster in question was reproduced from an oil... Read more

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Illustration of a unicorn. Viaggio da Venetia al Santo Sepolcro by Noe. Museum of the Order of St John.
History, Wednesday Talks, Uncategorized

Scales and Tails: Medieval Mythical Creatures in the Story of St John

Posted 4 August 2017
Museum of the Order of St John Nancy Mavroudi, Museum Assistant

Did medieval dragons and elephants co-exist, and were they a popular attraction among the Knights of St John? Did the Knights hunt unicorns and chase dragons? What strange animals did they come across in their journeys, and how did these creatures... Read more

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Sponsors

The Museum of the Order of St John would like to thank all those who have supported and continue to support its work. In particular, the Museum would like to thank the following for their generosity: