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

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Nominate us for the Family Friendly Museum Award!

Nominations are now open for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2022.

Each year Kids in Museums puts the power in families’ hands to crown the winner of its annual Family Friendly Museum Award. Now in its fifteenth year, the award recognises museums, galleries and heritage sites that go the extra mile to provide a great experience for children, young people and families. Shortlisted for Kids in Museums’ Family Friendly Museum Award 2018, we’re definitely worth exploring!

This is a brilliant opportunity for us to shout about what we are doing for families at the Museum of the Order of St John. From our free school holiday family activities to our sensory-friendly workshops, we regularly update our family offer to ensure that it is fun, relevant and engaging for the whole family.

If you would like to support us and share why you think the Museum of the Order of St John is great for families, please nominate us filling in the online form on the Kids in Museums website: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk/awards

The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 7 June 2022.

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

A black and white photograph showing a young, proud looking Betty Quinn in a black ARP uniform jacket and hat. On her chest is a medal which another woman is is looking at smiling. Betty Quinn, a Cadet Corporal in the Coventry St John Ambulance Brigade Division receiving a George Medal for gallantry in 1941 (St John Ambulance Brigade Cadets, 21st Anniversary Illustrated Review p15)
10 Minute Talks

10 Minute Talk and Tea: Celebrating 100 Years of Young Lifesavers

Posted 17 May 2022
Museum of the Order of St John Hannah Agass, Learning and Engagement Manager

Although young people have been involved in the lifesaving work of St John Ambulance since the 1880s, it was not until March 1922 that the St John Ambulance Brigade Cadets were inaugurated . The success of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (formed in... Read more

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Books, History

The World in a Book

Posted 3 March 2022
Museum of the Order of St John Raphaëlle Goyeau, Project Librarian

On World Book Day 2022, it seems fitting to explore one of the gems from our historic library, a 16th century book of maps and geography.  [caption id="attachment_18467" align="aligncenter" width="712"] A mappemonde from l'Isole piu famose del... Read more

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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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Black and white photograph of three girls and two boys in St John Ambulance Cadet uniforms All five siblings of the Pring family from Bristol were St John Ambulance Cadets. They were photographed for the St John Review in April 1977
St John Youth

Current and former Cadets and Badgers – can you help? 

Posted 27 March 2021
Museum of the Order of St John Rachel Job, collections and engagement assistant

[caption id="attachment_17808" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] All five siblings of the Pring family from Bristol were St John Ambulance Cadets. They were photographed for the St John Review in April 1977[/caption] The Museum has recently... 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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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: