diff --git a/AUTHORS.rst b/AUTHORS.rst
index d599aec74..3ea18eefc 100644
--- a/AUTHORS.rst
+++ b/AUTHORS.rst
@@ -69,3 +69,6 @@ Serban Constantin <serban.constantin at gmail dot com>
 
 Jason Robinson <jasonr at matrix.org>
  * Minor fixes
+
+Joseph Weston <joseph at weston.cloud>
+ + Add admin API for querying HS version
diff --git a/changelog.d/4772.feature b/changelog.d/4772.feature
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..19bb91f1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/4772.feature
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add an endpoint to the admin API for querying the server version. Contributed by Joseph Weston.
diff --git a/docs/admin_api/version_api.rst b/docs/admin_api/version_api.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..30a91b5f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/admin_api/version_api.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+Version API
+===========
+
+This API returns the running Synapse version and the Python version
+on which Synapse is being run. This is useful when a Synapse instance
+is behind a proxy that does not forward the 'Server' header (which also
+contains Synapse version information).
+
+The api is::
+
+    GET /_matrix/client/r0/admin/server_version
+
+including an ``access_token`` of a server admin.
+
+It returns a JSON body like the following:
+
+.. code:: json
+
+    {
+        "server_version": "0.99.2rc1 (b=develop, abcdef123)",
+        "python_version": "3.6.8"
+    }
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v1/admin.py b/synapse/rest/client/v1/admin.py
index 82433a2aa..0201cf118 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/client/v1/admin.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v1/admin.py
@@ -17,12 +17,14 @@
 import hashlib
 import hmac
 import logging
+import platform
 
 from six import text_type
 from six.moves import http_client
 
 from twisted.internet import defer
 
+import synapse
 from synapse.api.constants import Membership, UserTypes
 from synapse.api.errors import AuthError, Codes, NotFoundError, SynapseError
 from synapse.http.servlet import (
@@ -32,6 +34,7 @@ from synapse.http.servlet import (
     parse_string,
 )
 from synapse.types import UserID, create_requester
+from synapse.util.versionstring import get_version_string
 
 from .base import ClientV1RestServlet, client_path_patterns
 
@@ -66,6 +69,25 @@ class UsersRestServlet(ClientV1RestServlet):
         defer.returnValue((200, ret))
 
 
+class VersionServlet(ClientV1RestServlet):
+    PATTERNS = client_path_patterns("/admin/server_version")
+
+    @defer.inlineCallbacks
+    def on_GET(self, request):
+        requester = yield self.auth.get_user_by_req(request)
+        is_admin = yield self.auth.is_server_admin(requester.user)
+
+        if not is_admin:
+            raise AuthError(403, "You are not a server admin")
+
+        ret = {
+            'server_version': get_version_string(synapse),
+            'python_version': platform.python_version(),
+        }
+
+        defer.returnValue((200, ret))
+
+
 class UserRegisterServlet(ClientV1RestServlet):
     """
     Attributes:
@@ -763,3 +785,4 @@ def register_servlets(hs, http_server):
     QuarantineMediaInRoom(hs).register(http_server)
     ListMediaInRoom(hs).register(http_server)
     UserRegisterServlet(hs).register(http_server)
+    VersionServlet(hs).register(http_server)
diff --git a/tests/rest/client/v1/test_admin.py b/tests/rest/client/v1/test_admin.py
index 407bf0ac4..ea03b7e52 100644
--- a/tests/rest/client/v1/test_admin.py
+++ b/tests/rest/client/v1/test_admin.py
@@ -20,14 +20,48 @@ import json
 from mock import Mock
 
 from synapse.api.constants import UserTypes
-from synapse.rest.client.v1.admin import register_servlets
+from synapse.rest.client.v1 import admin, login
 
 from tests import unittest
 
 
+class VersionTestCase(unittest.HomeserverTestCase):
+
+    servlets = [
+        admin.register_servlets,
+        login.register_servlets,
+    ]
+
+    url = '/_matrix/client/r0/admin/server_version'
+
+    def test_version_string(self):
+        self.register_user("admin", "pass", admin=True)
+        self.admin_token = self.login("admin", "pass")
+
+        request, channel = self.make_request("GET", self.url,
+                                             access_token=self.admin_token)
+        self.render(request)
+
+        self.assertEqual(200, int(channel.result["code"]),
+                         msg=channel.result["body"])
+        self.assertEqual({'server_version', 'python_version'},
+                         set(channel.json_body.keys()))
+
+    def test_inaccessible_to_non_admins(self):
+        self.register_user("unprivileged-user", "pass", admin=False)
+        user_token = self.login("unprivileged-user", "pass")
+
+        request, channel = self.make_request("GET", self.url,
+                                             access_token=user_token)
+        self.render(request)
+
+        self.assertEqual(403, int(channel.result['code']),
+                         msg=channel.result['body'])
+
+
 class UserRegisterTestCase(unittest.HomeserverTestCase):
 
-    servlets = [register_servlets]
+    servlets = [admin.register_servlets]
 
     def make_homeserver(self, reactor, clock):