The Old English Court is a stone mansion erected in the early 16th century in Varvarka-street on the east side of the Kremlin. It is one of the earliest surviving specimens of Moscow's secular architecture. Most importantly it witnessed the birth of Anglo-Russian relations in the age of Ivan IV (the Terrible) and Elizabeth I. For it was here from 1556 to 1649 that the first English trading and ambassadorial office in Moscow was located, the first official residence of a Western power in the Russian capital.
The official opening of the Old English Court Museum took place on 18 October 1994 in the presence of and with the participation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Each room in the Old English Court Museum is devoted to a particular aspect of Anglo-Russian trade, diplomatic and cultural relations in the 16th-17th centuries. Excursions in the house provide an overall introduction to the history of the English Court and its inhabitants. The museum is also famous for its attractive selection of unusual educational activities in Russian.
Thanks to its unique acoustics the Main Hall of The Old English Court is used for concerts of early music played on Renaissance and Baroque instruments