St John's House Museum, Warwick facts for kids
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| Established | 1960 |
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| Location | Warwick, United Kingdom |
St John's House is a very old and important building in Warwick, England. It's located just east of the town center. This historic house has a story that goes back almost 900 years! Today, it's used for education, special events, and even weddings. It's managed by Heritage and Culture Warwickshire.
Next to the house, there's a small garden. Behind it, you'll find the large St. Nicholas' Park. The building you see today was built around 1666. It is considered one of the most important buildings in Warwick.
A Look Back: St John's House Through Time
Early Days: A Hospital for Those in Need
Around the mid-12th century, during the time of King Henry II, the land where St John's House now stands was given a special purpose. It became home to the Hospital of St. John the Baptist. This hospital was started by William de Beaumont, who was the Earl of Warwick.
The hospital had two main goals. First, it helped local people who were poor or sick. Second, it offered a place to stay and food for travelers who didn't have much money. These travelers often included pilgrims on their journeys.
Warwick had another hospital at that time, called St Michael's Leper Hospital. Its only job was to help people suffering from leprosy. Today, only the chapel building of St. Michael's Hospital still stands.
Records from 1291 show that the Hospital of St. John owned a dovecote, which is a building for doves. It also owned a piece of land. People working on the house have sometimes found old human remains. This happened in the 1830s and again in 1987. This shows that the hospital once had a cemetery.
From Hospital to Home: A Family Residence
During the time of King Henry VIII, many religious places were closed down. This was called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. St John's was given to Anthony Stoughton because he had helped the King. The land later went to his son, William.
Neither Anthony nor William lived in the house. Instead, they rented it out to others. Eventually, William's son, also named Anthony Stoughton, inherited the land. He was the one who built the house we see today. You can even find the date 1626 and the initials "A.S." carved above a door in the East Wing. The Stoughton family owned the house until 1960.
Learning Time: St John's as a School
In 1791, the Earl of Warwick decided to rent out the building for public use. The idea was to turn it into a school. This school was called St John's Academy. It was started by William T Fowler and was a school for "Young Gentlemen."
Later, in 1845, Benjamin Townsend took over the school. After he passed away in 1857, his three daughters, Susanna, Elizabeth, and Sarah, ran the school. By 1861, it had become a school just for girls.
Serving the Public: From War Office to Museum
In the early 1900s, St John's House was briefly rented out privately. Then, it became the property of the War Department. This means it was used by the military for administrative tasks.
In 1959, the Lord Warwick decided to sell the Warwick Castle Estates, which included St John's House. The building was then turned into a museum. Some parts of it were rented to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The museum officially opened in 1960. A very famous military leader, Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, opened it.
The museum stopped being open to the public in 2016.
Inside St John's House
When St John's House was a museum, it showed visitors what the building and the Warwick area were like in the past. Here are some things you could see:
- A full-size copy of a Victorian classroom. This showed what a classroom looked like when St John's House was a school. It had old benches, charts, and teaching tools like abacuses and blackboards. This display helped young people see how different education was in the 1800s compared to today. The house still runs activities for schools based on this exhibit.
- The second floor used to have a museum about the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers. This military museum moved to Pageant House Warwick in 2021.
- In 2011, a special outdoor area called St John's Brook Gardens was created. It was between the house and St Nicholas' Park. This garden had information about nature and woodcarving.
Today, the museum is no longer open to everyone. It is now the home of Warwickshire Heritage Learning. It also hosts special events and can be rented for different occasions.
See also
