St John Clerkenwell

St John Clerkenwell stands in Clerkenwell, a district of the London Borough of Islington. It began as part of the medieval St John’s Priory and became a parish church before serving as the priory church of the Order of St John. The present building is a modest rectangular structure of light brick, rebuilt in the 20th century. Inside, banners of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of St John hang on the walls. The church hosts investitures for the order, which was established by Queen Victoria in 1888. The site includes a chapel, crypt, garden of remembrance and a narrow Georgian entrance building. The garden of remembrance occupies the former site of a 16th-century chapel. Nearby, St John’s Gardens is a small public garden one block to the south-west. The outline of the round church consecrated in 1185 is marked out in St John’s Square in front of the church. The Order of St John also owns a museum and small retail outlets in the area. Visitors find a quiet chapel with surviving medieval elements in the walls and under the pews. The east end still holds one of the large stained glass windows from the 19th century. The crypt of the medieval building remains beneath the present structure. The garden of remembrance provides a peaceful space, while St John’s Gardens offers a small green retreat nearby. The Georgian entrance building adds a touch of historical character to the surroundings.