Clerkenwell Priory

You are standing near the site of what was once the most powerful monastic headquarters in medieval England. Established in the mid-twelfth century, the Clerkenwell Priory served as the provincial base for the Knights Hospitaller, a military order that began in Jerusalem to care for pilgrims and evolved into a formidable fighting force dedicated to defending the Holy Land. At its height, this ten-acre precinct functioned like a self-sufficient town, featuring its own water supply piped from the nearby springs of Clerkenwell, a fishing pond, a brewery, and even a slaughterhouse to sustain the knights and their staff.