Sir Edmund Lechmere in 1873 purchased St John's Gate as the order's headquarters: the property was initially leased from Sir Edmund before the order acquired the freehold in 1887. In 1877, the order established various St. John Ambulance associations in major railway centres and mining districts, so that railway men and colliers could learn how to treat victims of accidents with first aid; in 1882, the Grand Priory founded a hospice and ophthalmic dispensary in Jerusalem (known today as the St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group); and, by 1887, had established the St. John Ambulance Brigade, which undertook practical and life-saving work.