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

  • "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

The Museum is currently closed, but we're open online...

The Museum, its buildings and Cloister Garden are currently closed, but we are working behind the scenes to get ready to welcome you back later in the year.  

Our new online exhibition of highlights from our historic library is open now, and the Your Visit page is full of other ways you can visit us virtually.

Thank you for supporting the work of the Museum of the Order of St John, we look forward to seeing you again soon. 

READ MORE ABOUT HIRING OUR VENUES
  • 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

Books and manuscripts in the Historic Library
Uncategorized

A behind the scenes look into cataloguing rare materials

Posted 9 April 2021
Museum of the Order of St John Adriana Celmare - Project Librarian

Special collections libraries, like the one currently housed in the West Tower of the Museum of the Order of St John, often hold a wealth of rare and unique materials such as early printed books, manuscripts, maps, historic documents, journals or... Read more

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Books

Cataloguing the Museum’s Historic Library

Posted 2 March 2021
Museum of the Order of St John Adriana Celmare - Project Librarian

Thanks to a donation from a generous Museum supporter, we have embarked on an inventorying and cataloguing project of our Historic Library, a collection of approximately 1200 early printed books and manuscripts currently housed in the West Tower of... Read more

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Screenshot of a Zoom call showing three women imposed on three different backgrounds: a garden, a panelled room and a Museum gallery. The Museum team have been trying out the new backgrounds in their meetings.
Buildings, Uncategorized

Brighten up your video calls with our free downloadable backgrounds

Posted 19 January 2021
Museum of the Order of St John Rachel Job, Collections and Engagement Assistant

Inspired by the Museum of the Home, we've created our very own video call backgrounds that you can download for free. Where would you like to take your next call from? There are three options to choose from... How about our Council... Read more

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Black and white photograph of four men in St John uniform standing in a row. The four volunteers pictured outside St John’s Gate, where the Museum is housed. PHA 814
Uncategorized

The King’s Stretcher Bearers 

Posted 5 January 2021
Museum of the Order of St John Rachel Job, collections and engagement assistant

There were two flights of stairs to be negotiated… but we were thoroughly rehearsed. The King said, ‘thank you’ when finally we had deposited him by the side of his bed. Afterwards the Queen sent for us, and we lined up before her. She shook... Read more

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Two matchboxes branded with the St John Ambulance logo and with photographs of a wartime hospital.
Uncategorized

A Christmas gift from the First World War

Posted 17 December 2020
Museum of the Order of St John Emily Bourne, Learning and Access Officer

This year we are all preparing to celebrate Christmas in extraordinary circumstances, and there’s no doubt that gifts exchanged will take on extra significance as a token of joy at the end of a challenging year. In the Museum, it is possible to... 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: