traveldk.com

St John’s Gate was built in 1504 and marks the entry to the site of the priory run by the Order of the Knights of St John. It now incorporates the museum of the Knights of St John, including a sizeable exhibition of the work of the St John’s Ambulance service.

Of the three downstairs exhibition rooms, two are devoted to the history of the Knights of St John. There is a cannon that spent some time in the sea off Malta, a range of medals and porcelain, several impressive documents, and a couple of full-size knights in armour. There is also an interesting (and, I think, refreshingly hard-headed) account of how the Crusaders sacked Jerusalem in 1099 (the Order of St John was founded in Jerusalem “by 1099”). A couple of scale models of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – given to pilgrims in the 17th and 18th centuries – provided the highlight for me. I skipped the history video that was on offer.

The third exhibition room focuses on the work of the St John’s Ambulance. The room is much more modern and up-to-date than the rest of the museum – with computer terminals and co-ordinated displays. It is quite different in tone from the rest of the museum, but also interesting and easy-to-follow. Despite the modern feel to the exhibit, the history is well-presented – I particularly liked an illustrated “Esmarch’s triangular bandage” from the 1870s. Apparently these were introduced to the German army in 1868 and brought to Britain in 1877. Shortly afterwards, Germany adopted the ambulance service that St John’s was already providing in Britain.