Old English Court

A small museum, photography costs three times more than the front door, but nothing to see is to show the friendship between the two countries

You can see the British style house, the interior furnishings, supplies are all British, and there are short films.

You will cover this building when you go on the free walk tour, the Old English Court dates back to 16th centure and is next to of the 16-17 century St. Barbara. It is one of the first civilian stone buildings harking back to the turn of the 16th century. There English merchants - represents of the English trading firm Moscow Company based in London - lived in the 16th century. They in exchange for military supplies to Ivan the Terrible were allowed to sell their goods duty-free in Russia. One floor was used as living for both merchants and ambassadors and the others as stores. Today it has been completely restored and serves as the branch of the Museum of History of Moscow. The exposition shows the development of diplomatic and trading relationships between Russia and England.Opening hours: 10am - 6pm (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday), 11am - 9pm (Wednesday, Friday). Closed on: Mondays and the last Friday of the month.

The Old English Court in Moscow?Yes there is a history that goes with it.Back in the old days, the building was a 'present' to a group of English merchants by Ivan the Terrible, making it technically the oldest 'residence for foreign representation' in the country. Then in 1994, it was opened as a museum, to coincide with the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.The museum contains two exhibitions entitled "Medieval Russia from the Eyes of a Foreigner" and "The History of Anglo-Russian Relations". The museum also hold regular 'early music' concerts which are always fascinating.

In the mid-sixteenth century an English merchant named Richard Chancellor was shipwrecked and taken to the Russian Court of Ivan the Terrible. Chancellor and Ivan got along famously, and Ivan was told about the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I of England, and Ivan sent Chancellor back to England with a marriage proposal. Elizabeth was interested, but she sent Chancellor back to Moscow and he was given this property to facilitate trade between the two countries.