We arrived home late yesterday evening from our Valentine's sojourn. One of the places we passed on our walk up to the cinema was the site of the Freemasons. They've gathered on this site for over 200 years. The present hall was constructed between 1927 and 1932 in its Art Deco style by two principal architects, H.V. Ashley and F. Winton Newman. It was designed to be a memorial for over 3,000 Freemasons killed during the First World War.The building sits on a site that is two and one quarter acres in area -- pretty significant real estate in the heart of London! Known initially as the Masonic Peace Memorial, it was renamed the Freemasons Hall when the Second World War broke out. There was in excess of £1 million raised to fund the development. and in addition to the Great Hall within it there are 23 more temples or meeting rooms contained within it. Each provides for meetings by separate Masonic Lodges and Chapters and are individually designed. Temple No. 1 seats 600 people and has portraits of all the Grand Masters on its walls. The Hall is now a Grade II listed building which will help protect it for years to come.
The Freemasons are one of the largest and oldest fraternal, non-religious, non-political, charitable groups in the world with roots reputedly lying within the actions of medieval stonemasons who were responsible for building some of the world's largest cathedrals and castles. It is estimated that there are over 6 million members worldwide with the largest being the United Grand Lodge of England numbering over a quarter million and housed at....where else? The Freemasons Hall.Ale of the Day: Tempale, Essex Street Brewery, London
No comments:
Post a Comment