Exhibition Archives: Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Open to the Public, Free of Charge - Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm

On-line exhibits

atat

When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 there were about 500 Masonic lodges in the British Empire, by the time she died in 1901, there were nearly 2,000. All these new lodges needed equipment and all the new members needed their ceremonial costumes so these years also saw the development of specialist retailers who adopted modern marketing techniques to reach their audience. ‘The Masonic Emporium’exhibition at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry in Freemasons’ Hall in London’s Covent Garden explores the development of this market, telling the story of its suppliers and customers. Itruns from Thursday 1 July to Thursday 23 December 2010 and is free of charge to all visitors.

One such supplier was George Kenning. The son of an East End oyster seller, Kenning realised the potential of the market: he not only manufactured the costume but sold a range of products from his shops across Britain. He set up a mail order business which operated across the British Empire and was keen to develop new markets in the USA. He became a media magnate and advertised in his own widely read newspaper: The Freemason He even extended the brand by becoming closely involved in developing new Masonic orders all of which needed special costumes and props.

More about 'THE MASONIC EMPORIUM: SELLING TO THE WORLD'

The Library and Museum of Freemasonry’s latest exhibition explores the links between freemasons and the Royal Society over the course of its history.

The origins of the Royal Society lie in an "invisible college" of philosophers and scientists who began meeting in the mid-1640s to discuss the ideas of Francis Bacon. Two of the original members of the Royal Society - Sir Robert Moray and Elias Ashmole- were already freemasons by the time the Royal Society was formed. The Society met weekly to witness experiments and discuss what would now be called scientific topics although science then was much more broadly defined and included subjects such as alchemy and astrology.

As membership of Masonic lodges grew after 1717, freemasonry seems to have been attractive to other Fellows of the Royal Society. Several were closely involved in promoting new lodges and developing the constitutional basis of the new Grand Lodge. Early lodges were sometimes a forum for lectures on scientific subjects. John Theophilus Desaguliers was both an important publicist for Newton’s scientific ideas and a leading freemason.

More on Martin Folkes

The Library and Museum of Freemasonry’s latest exhibition explores the links between freemasons and the Royal Society over the course of its history.
The origins of the Royal Society lie in an "invisible college" of philosophers and scientists who began meeting in the mid-1640s to discuss the ideas of Francis Bacon. Two of the original members of the Royal Society - Sir Robert Moray and Elias Ashmole- were already freemasons by the time the Royal Society was formed. The Society met weekly to witness experiments and discuss what would now be called scientific topics although science then was much more broadly defined and included subjects such as alchemy and astrology.

More about Freemasons and The Royal Society

Sevres porcelain

This tray for cups which held sorbet-like ice dishes (which have not survived) is known as a soucoupe à pied. It combines the revolutionary symbol of a red Phrygian cap with a stonemason’s tool, a level, used here to represent freemasonry.

More about the French Revolution - Sevres Plate

Sevres porcelain

More about the French Revolution - Sevres Plate

	Freemasonry and the French Revolution - 'Napoleonic French Apron' French Masonic apron, hand coloured, c 1805, with a design influenced by Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. On the two pillars are Joseph Bonaparte and Cambacères, two leading freemasons of the period. The apron is currently on display in the Freemasonry and the French Revolution exhibition which runs until 18th December 2009. More about the French Revolution - Napoleonic French Apron'...
	Freemasonry and the French Revolution - 'Chairs with Masonic symbolism' At the time when the Bastille prison was stormed by the Paris mob on 14 July 1789, English freemasonry was approaching a peak of respectability and prestige. More about the French Revolution - Chairs with Masonic symbolism'...
	Freemasonry and the French Revolution - 'Masonic Jewel' A Masonic “jewel” made by French prisoners of war during the late 1700s. An estimated 120,000 French soldiers and sailors were brought to England as prisoners of war during the period 1793-1815. More about the French Revolution - Masonic Jewel'...
	Masonic Home - Croydon By 1847 supporters of the Masonic Asylum for Aged and Decayed Freemasons, the forerunner of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution. More about the Masonic Home - Croydon...
	Silver Candelabra This silver candelabra was presented to Dr Robert Crucefix at a meeting held at the New London Hotel, Bridge Street, Blackfriars on 24th November 1841. More about the Silver Candelabra...
	Symbolism Made Metal Mark Dennis, Curator, talks about an almost unknown part of the collection - Masonic medals - in a talk entitled Symbolism Made Metal. More about the Symbolism Made Metal...
	Royal Cumberland School for Girls The Library and Museum’s latest exhibition about Masonic charity includes an outline of the history of what was originally known as the Royal Cumberland School for the Daughters of Indigent Freemasons. More about the Royal Cumberland School for Girls...
	The Second Grand Principle: English Masonic Charity The Library and Museum’s latest exhibition tells the story of Masonic charity, from its origins to the establishment of the charitable institutions. More about the English Masonic Charity...
	Women and Freemasonry - Commemorative Pendant To mark its centenary the Order of Women Freemasons commissioned the newest addition to the select number of commemorative pieces which the organisation has produced - a pendant. More about the Commemorative Pendant...
	Women and Freemasonry - The Order of Women Freemasons The Order of Women Freemasons (“OWF”) established a travelling lodge to visit areas where no lodges were established and to initiate new members. More about the Order of Women Freemasons...
	Women and Freemasonry - The First Female Freemason of Modern Times The first female freemason of modern times is Maria Deraismes (1828-1894). She was initiated on14th January 1882. More about the first female Freemason...
	Square Meals - 300 Years of Masonic Dining Square Meals: 300 Years of Masonic Dining at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry will recreate Masonic dining from the early 1700s to the present. More about Square Meals...
	Women and Freemasonry - The Centenary Many people are still oblivious to the fact that there are women freemasons. In fact, The Order of Women Freemasons (originally known as the Honourable Fraternity of Antient Masonry) was formed on 5 June 1908. More about Women and Freemasonry...
	Rebuilding of Freemasons' Hall - 1860s In the 1860s Grand Lodge began a comprehensive rebuilding of the site in Great Queen Street around the first Freemasons’ Hall built by Thomas Sandby in 1774-6. Purchases of properties along Great Queen Street enabled the site to be expanded. More about Freemasons' Hall - 1860s...
	Jewel: Wellington Lodge No. 707 The Library and Museum has recently purchased this Masonic jewel with an unusual, if not unique, design. In the form of an oval pendant, 3.5 inches high, the jewel features a Square and Compass design around the letter G, a sunburst above and a set of steps below. More about Wellington Lodge Jewel...
	Sir Alfred Robbins (1856 - 1931) Sir Alfred Robbins perceived influence in the governing of freemasonry in the early years of the twentieth century led to him being described as “the prime Minister of English freemasonry”. More about Sir Alfred Robbins...
	William Wix (1768 - 1849) William Wix (1768-1849) who was an attorney and Fellow of the Royal Society and held the office of Provincial Grand Master of Essex from 1801-1824 (and of Grand Superintendent from 1801-1846). More about William Wix...
	Harry Bladon - Freemason and Manufacturer of Masonic Regalia Henry Bladon was born in 1867 and initiated into Duke of Cornwall Lodge No. 1839. He was proposed by his father, Joseph, who was Senior Deacon of the lodge. More about Harry Bladon...
	Recognising London: The Centenary of London Grand Rank In December 1907, the Duke of Connaught, as Grand Master, announced the creation of London Rank (now known as London Grand Rank) which provided London masons with an honours system, comparable with that already existing in the provinces, which could be used to reward long and meritorious service. More about The Centenary of London Grand Rank...
	Badges, medals and jewels of Freemasonry Badges, medals and jewels are amongst the earliest surviving objects associated with freemasonry. In the eighteenth century, when the first Grand Lodge in the world was formed, it was not uncommon to wear a badge, often very elaborate, which provided visual evidence of membership of an organisation and of rank within that organisation as an “emblem of belonging”. More about Badges, medals and jewels...
	Tokens of Unwritten Lives - The Folk and Popular Art Fraternity History is written by those who have the power to do it, but it is created by all of us. The summer exhibition at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry celebrates the creativity of ordinary people who chose to mark their membership of local and national groups and societies by the creation and display of objects signifying that membership. More about Tokens of Unwritten Lives...
	Squaring the Triangle The current Library and Museum exhibition is called Squaring the Triangle it forms part of the commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the slave trade. More about Squaring the Triangle...
	Red Cross Song This song about the Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine was composed by Robert Wentworth Little (1840-1879). More about Red Cross Song...
	George Bickham - Musical Entertainer 1737 The True Mason appears in an 18th Century song book, The Musical Entertainer. The words were by John Bancks and appear in the 1738 edition of Anderson’s Constitutions. Both Bickham and Anderson call him Brother, so it must be assumed that he was a freemason. More about George Bickham...
	The Freemason's Liber Musicus The latest exhibition in the Library and Museum explores the development of Masonic music over three centuries. Music has always been integral to English freemasonry from the early years of the eighteenth century and the inclusion of songs set to music in James Anderson’s first Book of Constitutions (1723) is clear evidence for this. More about the Freemason's Liber Musicus...
	Mark Master Masons of London - 150th Anniversary To mark the 150th Anniversary of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons in London, the Library and Museum of Freemasonry is putting on display many unique documents and rarely seen objects relating to the early years of this Grand Lodge. More about the Mark Master Masons of London...
	The Duke of Sussex The Duke of Sussex, who had become Grand Master at the Union, died on 21st April 1843. It was decided a statue in Freemasons' Hall would be the best tribute to him. More about the Duke of Sussex...
	The Hall in the Garden The history of one of the most recognisable and intriguing buildings in the centre of London and its links and associations with its local area will be revealed by a new exhibition opening in July 2006. More about the Hall in the Garden...
	Ahiman Rezon: The legacy of Laurence Dermott To mark the 250th Anniversary of the publication of the first Book of Constitutions for the Antients Grand Lodge, the Library and Museum is putting on display its unique collection of editions of Ahiman Rezon. More about Ahiman Rezon...
	Penshaw Lodge - jewel Penshaw Lodge No 3194 was formed one hundred years ago in 1906 and still meets at the Masonic Hall, Shiney Row in County Durham. More about the jewel and Penshaw Lodge...
	Loyd Lindsay jewel The founder's jewel for Loyd Lindsay Lodge No 3058 formed in 1904 and named after one of the first winners of the Victoria Cross, Robert James Loyd-Lindsay. More about the jewel and the Victoria Cross...
	Cataloguing of lodge jewels The Library and Museum's project of cataloguing the many thousands of lodge jewels in its collection is continuing. More about cataloguing of lodge jewels...
	Most Glorious of them All To mark the 150th Anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross in 1856, the Library and Museum of Freemasonry is mounting a new exhibition about some of the holders of Victoria Cross who were freemasons. More about the Victoria Cross...
	Mozart and Freemasonry Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg on 27th January 1756 and 2006 will see a number of celebrations of the 250th Anniversary of his birth. Most of his early life was spent travelling around Europe studying and giving concerts as a child prodigy. More about Mozart...
	Kingsway On 18th October 1905, King Edward VII officially opened Kingsway, a new roadway linking the Strand with Euston Station which had been the largest road building scheme in London since the construction of Regent Street in 1820 and had resulted in the clearance of one of the most overcrowded areas of late Victorian London and the removal of 3,500 residents. More about Kingsway...
	Elegance and Splendour: The Story of Freemasons' Hall The current exhibition at the Library and Museum is about the first Freemasons’ Hall which was built in 1776 in Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, as the headquarters for the growing membership of the Grand Lodge of England. More about Freemasons' Hall...
	Society of Bucks Jewel of the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Bucks, which flourished between the 1770s and the 1820s. More about the Bucks...
	Foresters Sashes Sashes showing the admission of women to the Ancient Order of Foresters. More about the Foresters...
	Grand Lodge of Druids, late 18th Century Eighteenth-century British intellectuals were very interested in the Druids; they were attracted to the idea that ancient Britain had not been peopled by savages but had an order of learning and wisdom that had rivalled - and possibly influenced - the Greek philosophers and the astrologers of ancient Persia. More about the Druids...
	Solent Lodge No. 6182 A group of Portsmouth freemasons began to think about the formation of a new lodge early in 1945. Solent Lodge No 6182 was formed shortly after the Second World War. Portsmouth, as a major naval base, had suffered considerable bomb damage during the war but the lodge jewel shown here shows a view of the Solent, peaceful and calm. More about Solent Lodge...
	Cardboard Charity Jewels During the Second World War metal was required for the production of aircraft and armaments. Masonic charities traditionally issued medals or jewels each year commemorating fundraising events (known as festivals).During the war Masonic charities replaced their metal steward’s jewels with card or plastic versions which were in some cases replaced by a metal version once the wartime restrictions were lifted. More about Cardboard Charity Jewels...
	The Spirit that sustains The Library and Museum of Freemasonry at Freemasons’ Hall in London is mounting an exhibition from January to August 2005 to mark the 60th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This is the regalia case once owned by Winston Churchill, Britain's wartime leader. More about Churchill's apron...
	St John's Day St John the Baptist, whose feast day is 24th June, and St John the Evangelist, whose festival is celebrated on 27th December, are regarded as the "patron saints" of freemasonry. More about St John...
	The Legacy of John Pine As the first official engraver to Grand Lodge, John Pine established a tradition of high-quality engraving and decoration in masonic documents and publications which has continued to the present day. More about John Pine's engravings...
	French Masonic clock The Library and Museum has recently purchased this French Masonic clock. More about the Masonic clock...
	Sociable Craftsman: The World of the Artist John Pine The career of John Pine encompasses much of 18th-century London life. As an apprentice silversmith and a young engraver, he learnt how to make a living from art in the commercial life of London, then the largest and wealthiest city in the world. More about John Pine...
	Buildings in London The early archives of one of the most fascinating buildings in London are to be made available to the public by the Library and Museum of Freemasonry as part of a cataloguing and conservation project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). More about buildings in London...
	Sir Henry Irving (1835 - 1905) Freemason Sir Henry Irving was the first actor to be knighted (in 1895) having dominated the London stage as an actor and as manager of the Lyceum Theatre (from 1878) with his productions of Shakespearean plays. He died a wealthy man with a fortune estimated at more than £2 million in modern terms. More about Sir Henry Irving... For more information on the Drury Lane Lodge whose membership includes many theatrical personalities, go to their website at www.drurylanelodge.info (external website opens in a new window)
	'Act on the Square' Pictorial music covers such as this became common from the middle of the nineteenth century following the invention of colour lithography which enabled multi coloured printed work to be produced in quantity and cheaply. More about music sheets...
	A Seasonal Feast! The archives include a bill for a lodge dinner that took place on 1st December 1775 at an unknown location. The total bill was more than £14 and is annotated in a number of places to show the number of bottles ordered although we do not know how many were present. More about the lodge dinner...
	The Doyle Cup The Doyle Cup is one of two presented to Lieutenant General Sir John Doyle by the Freemasons of Guernsey in 1806, one of a number of generous gifts presented at that time including a set of captured horse furniture originally intended for the Viceroy of Mexico. More about the Doyle Cup...
	Meeting in a Bottle This is an exceptionally rare piece and was acquired by the Library and Museum at auction in June 2003. Apparently dating from the late eighteenth century, it shows a lodge meeting in a bottle with a group of men in regimental uniform positioned around a table. This is a Masonic example of a type of a model in a bottle that has a substantial tradition in folk art. More about the meeting in a bottle...
	John Gale Jewel A fine example from our extensive collection of pierced masonic jewels, the John Gale jewel, so called from the name enscribed on it, dates from aorund 1770. Very few of the jewels in the collection are named so it is relatively rare and its design is unique. More about the John Gale jewel...

Created by Mark Griffin -
Copyright 2003-2007 Library and Museum Charitable Trust of the United Grand Lodge of England
Registered Charity Number 1058497