St John's House Museum, Warwick
Established | 1960 |
---|---|
Location | Warwick, United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 52°17′00″N 1°34′49″W / 52.2832°N 1.5804°W |
Website | heritage |
St John's House is an historic house located in
Historic use
As a hospital
In the mid 12th century, during the reign of
In 1291's
It is known that in 1610 the site comprised four standing buildings, including a gatehouse topped with
As a residence
During the
As a school
In 1791, the building was rented out for the first time by the Earl of Warwick for public use, with the intent of converting it into a school. The school, then known as St John's Academy, was founded by William T Fowler and was set up as a school for "Young Gentlemen" (as advertised on the hand-bill[7] This was then reverted in 1845 under Benjamin Townsend, the son-in-law of William Fowler.[8] After Townsend's death in 1857, three of his daughters, Susanna, Elizabeth and Sarah, took over the running of the school, with it being a girls' school from at least 1861.[9]
As a public service
After a brief spell of private tenancy in the start of the 20th century, the house became the property of the War Department, where it was used for the administration of the
The House
Whilst run as a museum the house exhibits provided information about the history of the site, as well as Warwick and the surrounding area. Features of the museum included:
- A full-sized replica of a Victorian classroom, as it would have appeared during the educational period of St. John's House. The display includes benches and seating, charts and diagrams, as well as teaching tools such as abacuses and blackboards, all contemporary of the time. This display is designed to give people (young people in particular) an idea of what education would have been like in 19th century compared with now. The house currently runs activities based on this exhibit for schools.[11]
- The second floor housed Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers.[12]until 2021. This has now moved to Pageant House Warwick
- In 2011, the Museum Service established a themed outdoor space, St John's Brook Gardens, between St John's House and St Nicholas' Park. This covered woodcarving and information on natural history.
The museum is no longer open to the public. It is now the home of Warwickshire Heritage Learning and also hosts special events and is available for venue hire.
See also
References
- ^ "St John's House A Grade I Listed Building in Warwick, Warwickshire". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ A detailed history of the hospital.
- ^ Dugdale's History of Warwickshire
- ^ Warwickshire County Record Office - 'The Ground plott of Warwick', in Dugdale, W. The Antiquities of Warwickshire, London, 424-5
- ^ Archaeological Report 0446 Rev A July 2006, Warwickshire County Council records
- ^ "A History of Warwick". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ Poster for St John's Academy, Warwick, for the education of young gentlemen c.1800. Warwickshire Country Record Office (PV WAR St John 8)
- ^ Benjamin Townsend married Susannah Fowler, daughter of William, at Warwick on 3 January 1814 (Warwickshire Record Office, DR181, marriages at St Nicholas, Warwick)
- ^ Death of Benjamin Townsend, Warwick, March quarter of 1857 (https://www.freebmd.org.uk, vol 6d page 324); 1861 census for St John's House, Warwick
- ^ Dingle, Charlie. "St John's House". Heritage and culture. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "H&CW Website - School Events". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum (Warwickshire), St John's House, Warwick". Retrieved 30 January 2012.