One of the few remnants of Clerkenwell Priory, St John's Gate has an eclectic history. The priory served as the English headquarters of the Hospitallers (Knights of St John), a powerful religious order with international military and humanitarian missions. The Order was disestablished in England following the dissolution of the monasteries and the buildings found many other uses. In the 16th century they housed the offices of the Master of the Revels, a government censor who licensed the plays of Shakespeare, Marlowe and contemporaries. Later, in this gate, Hogarth's father ran an unsuccessful coffee house where only Latin was spoken. Samuel Johnson wrote magazine articles here. The gate became a pub frequented by Charles Dickens, before the modern Order of St John was founded by Queen Victoria. The 16th century gate was heavily restored and became the headquarters of the order, also serving as a St John Ambulance station. Now it houses a museum.
