Museum of the Order of St John

08/03/2023

The Museum of the Order of St John - Museum of the Order of St John

We're sorry to announce that we've had to cancel tonight's online talk: Women and the Order of Saint John in the Middle Ages.

All those who booked have been sent an email.

We hope to reschedule. If you would like to be sure of hearing about the new date, why not subscribe to our e-newsletter? Visit the Museum's website and enter your email address under 'Connect' at the bottom of the homepage:

A hidden jewel which tells the unique story of an ancient religious military Order. Their gatehouse and secret gardens are available for event hire.

04/03/2023

It's one week until our 100th birthday party!

Come and celebrate with us on Saturday 11th March 2-4:30pm.

Enjoy an afternoon of behind-the-scenes tours, free family-friendly activities, tea and birthday cake! Plus make a souvenir print to take home with artist Anna Alcock.

Free, all welcome.

24/02/2023

TOUR Royal Stories, Royal Treasures

Celebrate the Coronation of the Order's Sovereign Head by joining a Royal Stories, Royal Treasures tour, available for a limited time only...

👑👑👑

From Henry II to Charles III, discover more than eight centuries of royal patronage and hospitality through rarely seen objects in the Museum’s collection.

The first tour is one month's time. Tickets are selling fast, so get yours now!

From Henry II to Charles III, discover more than eight centuries of royal patronage and hospitality through rarely seen objects.

22/02/2023

TALK Women and the Order of Saint John in the Middle Ages

Two weeks to go until our next :
Women and the Order of Saint John in the Middle Ages

An online evening lecture in partnership with the St John Historical Society to mark International Women's Day.

Women were associated with the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from its earliest beginnings. One of these was Constance of France, the sister of King Louis VII, who made a pilgrimage to the Latin East in the 1170s and became a Hospitaller sister there. Why? Dr Myra Bom explains the Order’s appeal to Constance and other medieval women.

Dr Myra Bom is a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, a Research Associate at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has published Women in the Military Orders of the Crusades (2012) and Constance of France: Womanhood and Agency in Twelfth-Century Europe (2022).

Tickets are free, donations welcome if you can. All donations will support the work of the Museum of the Order of St John, helping to care for its collections and historic buildings.

Live captions will be provided by Stagetext.

Book your ticket👇

In this online talk Dr Myra Bom explores why this military religious order appealed to women.

15/02/2023

Come and Celebrate our 100th Birthday!
Saturday 11th March 2-4:30pm.

Join us for free talks, behind-the-scenes tours, family-friendly activities, tea and birthday cake. All welcome, just drop in.

Pick up a printed What's On guide next time you're at the Museum to find out what else is happening at the Museum over the coming months, or check out the What's On page on our website.

13/02/2023

Are you enthusiastic and creative? Do you enjoy working with children and families? Would you like to help adults and children engage with art, culture and history? Then the role of Family Learning Volunteer could be for you!

We currently looking for people to join our team of Family Learning Volunteers to support the Museum's Learning and Engagement Team in the development, delivery, and evaluation of the Museum of the Order of St John's regular programme of free family activities. Through crafts, storytelling, and trails, you will help us to spark the curiosity of local families as you provide practical support to enable adults and children to learn together.

The Museum’s family programme takes place throughout the year from monthly Under 5’s workshops during term time, to school holiday workshops aimed at children aged 3-10, and Seacole Sessions designed to support Autistic and neuro-diverse families.

For more information and to apply, please use the link below. Be quick, because the closing date to apply is this coming Sunday 19th February!

https://www.sja.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/volunteer-opportunity-search/opportunity-detail/196352

09/02/2023

As part of Islington Council's Winter Warmers programme, we're hosting a free event next Wednesday afternoon (15th February) which is open to all.

Explore the spectacular interiors of St John's Gate, a local landmark since 1504. Join Museum staff for a warm drink and an informal tour of the Tudor gatehouse to discover some of its many uses from the entrance to a medieval Priory, to a coffee shop, printing press, pub and ambulance station.

There will be two sessions: one from 2:15-3pm, and the second from 3:15-4pm. There's no need to book, just turn up and enjoy!

07/02/2023

TALK Armies on the Move: A Study of Byzantine and English Treaties 900-1200

We're really excited about not just one, but two talks that we're hosting this week...

The first takes place TOMORROW evening at 7pm with Ben Morris speaking about his fascinating PhD research into Byzantine and English Treaties 900-1200. Register at the link below.

The second is our first ten-minute of the year, at 12:30pm on Thursday. Join us in person during your lunch break to hear our very own Sarah Wilkinson speak about the historic links between Malta and the USA. No need to register in advance, just turn up and enjoy!

An online talk by Dr Ben Morris, winner of the St John Historical Society Prize for original research.

04/02/2023

MOSJ BSL Intro Film

Have you seen our new British Sign Language introduction to the Museum by historian John Wilson?

We run regular interpreted tours, and the next is in just one week's time. Tickets are still available via our website.

A British sign language introduction to the Museum of the Order of St John.To find out more about our programme of Deaf-led and BSL interpreted tours and eve...

01/02/2023

Homepage - Cadet Voices

St John Ambulance Cadet Voices online exhibition goes live!

Grab a cup of tea, find a comfy spot and listen to some incredible stories of what it has meant to be a Cadet over the last 80 years.

Young people have been a vital part of St John Ambulance since its very beginning, and in 1922 the organisation officially established the Cadets as a nationwide programme for under-18s. To celebrate the centenary of St John Ambulance Cadets in 2022, young people from across the charity interviewed their predecessors from the 1940s to the present day.

After a year-long project with interviews taking place in 16 locations across the country you can now enjoy listening to extracts online.

The project was kindly funded by St John Ambulance, the St John Fellowship and a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This online exhibition presents just some of the many memories from these conversations including lifesaving First Aid, supporting the country’s war recovery, camping adventures, and numerous events and celebrations including the 1987 Great Party in Hyde Park.

28/01/2023

Last week, the St John heritage team met with Girlguiding Norfolk Archive Resource Centre - ARC. This purpose-built archive and collection centre, which opened in 2016, is the home of heritage collections telling the rich story of over 110 years of Girlguiding history in Norfolk.

The volunteers running the centre use their collections to deliver a range of engagement activities, helping young people and adults (of all ages) have fun and learn about inspirational women through history.

It was wonderful to see how much they’ve achieved in a relatively short time, and we came back full of inspiration and ideas for St John heritage projects.

27/01/2023

TALK Armies on the Move: A Study of Byzantine and English Treaties 900-1200

We're pleased to announce our first evening talk of the year, in partnership with the St John Historical Society:

Wednesday 8th February
7-8pm

Armies on the Move: The Movement of Military Service in Byzantine and English Treaties, 900-1200.

Diplomacy and warfare are intrinsically linked, both in the modern world and its medieval counterpart. This talk explores how two of the most bureaucratic medieval powers, Byzantium and England, approached the movement of military service in their treaties. From the Count of Flanders, to the Emir of Aleppo, and crusading forces, the movement and supply of troops remained a vital diplomatic issue in the medieval world.

Dr Ben Morris has recently finished his PhD at Cardiff University, which focused on the comparative study of Byzantine and English treaties. In 2022 he received the St John Historical Society Award for original research. He has forthcoming articles in the ‘Theories and Practices of Pacification in the Norman Worlds’ collection, and the soon to be published ‘In the Absence of Envoys’ volume.

An online talk by Dr Ben Morris, winner of the St John Historical Society Prize for original research.

20/01/2023

This February Half Term we are offering more free family activities than ever before!

On Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February, you can join us for a very exciting collaboration with the Old Operating Theatre making Herbal Pomanders!

Make a nice-smelling pomander, believed in the past to ward off "bad air" (miasma), learn about how medicine was made, and handle historic objects with the Old Operating Theatre.

The session on Wednesday 15th February between 11am and 3:30pm will be drop-in (no booking necessary), while the session on Tuesday 14th February between 11am and 2:30pm is part of our autism-friendly programme, “Seacole Sessions” and spaces must be pre-booked.

On Thursday 16th February it's time to reveal our greatest secret… “Unlocking the Secret Garden”! Meet our Community Gardener Gabby, unlock and explore our secret garden with storyteller Olivia and create the garden of your dreams through craft and collage between. This session is from 10:30am to 3:00pm and spaces must be pre-booked.

Tuesday 14th February- Seacole Sessions Herbal Pomanders

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seacole-sessions-family-activity-herbal-pomanders-tickets-510565895337

Wednesday 15th February- Drop In Herbal Pomanders

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/drop-in-free-family-activity-herbal-pomanders-tickets-510559446047

Thursday 16th February – Unlocking the Secret Garden

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-family-activity-unlocking-the-secret-garden-tickets-510587048607 This February Half Term we are launching more activities than ever before!

18/01/2023

Did you spot our very own Sarah Wilkinson on Bargain Hunt last week? Sarah told Caroline Hawley and audiences nationwide the story of the death mask of l'Inconnue de la Seine, and how it's still saving lives today.

You can catch up on BBC iPlayer now: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001h0xs/bargain-hunt-series-64-detling-6

11/01/2023

Happy !

Here are a couple of snippets of the we look after for St John Ambulance.

Would you like to see the bigger picture? Join us for a guided tour! National Lottery Heritage Fund

https://museumstjohn.org.uk/planning-your-visit/guided-tours/

08/01/2023

Did you spot us on Gangsta Granny Strikes Again over Christmas?

The sequel to the 2013 film included David Walliams, Sheridan Smith and Maggie Steed.
We saw the Crypt transformed into the Tower of London where a very daring heist took place in an attempt to steal the Crown Jewels! The Old Chancery became a football trophy room, and if you look carefully you can see our collection pieces have been replaced with trophies and football magazines!

The full episode can be watched on BBC iPlayer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001g4wd/gangsta-granny-strikes-again

07/01/2023

Ten-Minute Talk & Tea: Trowel and Error - The Archaeology of the Priory of St John & St John’s Gate

If you missed our last Ten-Minute Talk and Tea of 2022 - 'Trowel & Error: The Archaeology of the Priory of St John and St John’s Gate' - then we have a New Year's treat for you, as it is now viewable on our YouTube page!
https://youtu.be/eJCPV2lVOz8

Join Collections Inventory Assistant Immie Meade as she shares some of the archaeological objects that have been found at the Priory of St John and St John’s Gate in Clerkenwell, including a closer look at objects which are normally not on display at our museum! The text of this video is available as a blog post on our website: https://museumstjohn.org.uk/10-minute-talk-trowel-and-error/

Our Ten-Minute Talk and Tea programme will resume in February, all talks are free to attend and take place at 12:30pm on the second Thursday of each month in our accessible Museum Galleries.

In this talk, our Collections Inventory Assistant Immie Meade shares some of the archaeological objects that have been found at the Priory of St John and St ...

05/01/2023

Free Under 3s Family Workshop: All Change!

Looking for something to do with your little ones in ?

There are still spaces available for our under-3s family workshop next Wednesday morning. Book your spot at the link below.

All Change! Join in with this fun story about different kinds of transport and make a vehicle of your own.

04/01/2023

TOUR St John Ambulance: A Victorian Masterpiece

Happy New Year! 🎇

We can't wait to welcome you back to the Museum from 10am tomorrow morning.

There are still spaces on our 2:30pm tour, so book now if you'd like the chance to visit the spectacular Victorian interiors of St John’s Gate as part of your visit and to discover the personal stories of St John Ambulance’s dedicated women and men.👇

Visit the spectacular Victorian interiors of St John’s Gate to discover the personal stories of St John Ambulance’s dedicated women and men.

23/12/2022

Today is our last day of opening before the holidays. We'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you, our friends and supporters, a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

We will be re-opening on Thursday 5th January at 10am. In the meantime, please enjoy these photos of the Priory Church and garden, taken at dawn last Monday morning.

17/12/2022

📣We're hiring for an Events & Partnerships Lead!📣

This is an excellent opportunity to work at the magnificent Gatehouse and Priory Church in Clerkenwell, which provide exquisite opportunities for private events, weddings, filming and conferences.

https://www.sja.org.uk/careers-at-sja/vacancy-listing-page/vacancy-detail/187635

📸Harriet Langford

14/12/2022

Did you miss our free talk last week on the archaeology of the St John's Gate and Priory lands? Never fear, the blog is now here! Read on to learn about the earliest human settlements on the site, what makes a fancy diet in the 12th century and secrets discovered under floorboards.

A video of this talk will be available in the new year, so watch this space!

https://museumstjohn.org.uk/10-minute-talk-trowel-and-error/

[Image description: Three tiles, one on left side is complete with indistinguishable decoration, centre fragment with painted yellow and dark red decorative design, tile on right side is complete with remains of cream and dark red painted design]

08/12/2022

Fancy learning something new on your lunch break today? Join our Collections Inventory Assistant Immie at 12:30 for our free 10-minute Talk & Tea 'Trowel and Error: The Archaeology of The Priory of St John and St John’s Gate'! Tea and biscuits will be provided and you'll get the chance to see some finds up close!

[Image description: a pencil-drawn illustration of a fragment of architectural stone with leaf and shell decorations.]

05/12/2022

It’s the eighth day of and today’s theme is Humour.

Methods of first aid and first aid equipment have changed over time, as we learn more about healthcare and safety – some things are adapted and evolve over time, while others fall out of use altogether. Today’s offering is the latter, a rather fun “Fluffy Rope”, found in the 1935 edition of the St John Ambulance Juvenile Manual.

The “Fluffy Rope” is described in the Manual as ‘a more simple appliance for effective escape’. It is ‘strong and pliable, and easily carried by those who travel’, with ‘a specially frayed out surface to avoid chafing of the hands and to give a better grip’.



Image courtesy of the St John Archive.

04/12/2022

It’s the seventh day of and today’s theme is Languages.

St John Ambulance is an internationally renowned organisation, providing practical first aid and first aid training in many countries and in many different languages. As a result, the Archive’s collections include a number of first aid manuals in different languages.

Here’s an example: a first edition textbook in Home Nursing published in Urdu 1949.



Image courtesy of the St John Archive.

03/12/2022

It’s the sixth day of and today’s theme is News!

Our for today is that the Museum’s Archive has embarked on a project to digitise its collection of St John Ambulance Cadet and youth magazines, as part of our celebration of the Cadets’ 100th anniversary.

The publications include issues of The St John Cadet (the first magazine for Cadets, running from 1946-1955), Badger Buzz (a magazine specifically for our youngest first aiders, running from 1987-1996), and issues of Start! and The Edge (the more recent youth publications, which ran from 1990-1994 and 1994-1997 respectively).

This collection of youth publications is a really fantastic resource in telling the story of youth development within St John Ambulance. The magazines are full of life and adventure, accounts of events, competitions, and activities, photographs, and reports from our Cadet and youth members. The magazines have been sitting in boxes in the Archive, only accessed when a researcher asks to see them, and being only available in a hard copy, it means that searching for information within the magazines is time-consuming for our staff. This digitisation project will allow us to open the collection up to a wider audience by making them digitally accessible and word-searchable (which is great for staff and researchers!)

We can’t wait to share further information once the magazines have been digitised, so watch this space!



Image courtesy of the St John Archive.

02/12/2022

It’s the fifth day of and today’s theme is Party!

One of the biggest parties in St John Ambulance history was our 100th anniversary party, held on 20th June 1987. It was so big that the whole of Hyde Park in London was used for the celebrations, and the party even featured on a special television broadcast!

There were parades and demonstrations of first aid, and lots of fun activities for everyone to get involved in, including a circus with several elephants, clowns, face painting, and a record-breaking cooked sausage. In celebration of a century of first aid provision, St John Ambulance launched its new opportunity for children aged 7-10 to learn and practice first aid: the Badgers.

The party was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Order of St John’s Grand Prior, and we have some photographs in the the Archive which show the Queen attending a Cadet first aid demonstration and being presented with a garland.



Images courtesy of the St John Archive.

01/12/2022

Interpreting the Weston panels - history, format and function

Less than one week to go! Who's coming?

Interpreting the Weston panels – history, format and function
An evening lecture in partnership with the St John Historical Society.
Wednesday 7th December
7-8pm

Long known as the Weston Triptych, a title which assumes that only a centre panel is missing, the two fifteenth-century Northern European panels in the collection of the Museum of the Order of St John were in fact once part of a much larger altarpiece. Richard West will discuss these findings, published recently in the Burlington Magazine, as well as his thoughts on attribution and provenance. He will also provide context as to why Sir John Weston, Prior of the Order in England (1476-1489), might have commissioned a Netherlandish altarpiece with scenes from the Life of the Virgin.

After a long city career, Richard studied for an MA in Early Netherlandish Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2017/18. His MA dissertation was published in the February 2022 issue of the Burlington Magazine and he is now undertaking research into church monuments in Somerset.

Tickets are free and must be pre-booked via the Museum’s Eventbrite page. Donations welcome.

Join art historian Richard West for new insights into a Netherlandish altarpiece in Clerkenwell.

01/12/2022

It’s the fourth day of and today’s theme is Throwback!

The St John Ambulance Cadets were created in 1922 (100 years ago!), but did you know that the first St John Ambulance Cadet Division in England to be formed and fully equipped with uniform was the Queensbury Ambulance Cadet Division from the Bradford Corps? Here’s a photograph of the chaps with their Division leaders, all proudly posing in their full uniform.



Image courtesy of the St John Archive.