Coningsby Medieval Museum
A modern museum on the site once occupied by the Dominican monstery of Blackfriars (so-named for the black habits traditionally worn by the Dominican monks). Blackfriars was the home of the Order of St John (the Hospitallers), the ancestor of the St John Ambulance organization.
The monastery site is now an attractive garden, within which you will find a rare surviving example of a medieval preaching cross.
After the monastery was dissolved under Henry VIII the site became used by the Coningsby Red Coat Hospital, which was probably the inspiration for the Chelsea Hospital in London.
The museum traces the history of the site, including the story of the Knights Hospitaller, the Knights Templar, and the Crusades. There are exhibits of artefacts from the site. In addition, visitors can view the 13th-century chapel, which is still in use today by the Order of St John. The remains of Blackfriars monastery are directly beside the museum.
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