Freemason's Hall, Bristol

Last updated

Freemason's Hall from the opposite side of Park Street Freemason's Hall, Park Street, Bristol.jpg
Freemason's Hall from the opposite side of Park Street

Freemason's Hall, Bristol is a building on Park Street in the city of Bristol, England. It is a Grade II* listed building [1] initially built in 1821. It is now the home of Freemason's in Bristol and is the seat of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol [2] as well as a number of other organisations and side orders including the Rite of Baldwyn. It is the home of 38 Craft Lodges, 14 Royal Arch Chapters, and 7 Mark Lodges, 3 Royal Ark Lodges [3] and is one of the few masonic provinces which enjoy all lodges meeting in the same building. [4] The Bristol Masonic Society also meets there. [5]

Contents

History

The building was initially built as The Philosophical Institution for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art, later becoming a museum. [6] [4] The Philosophical Institution was in operation from 1823 to 1871 and during that time merged with the Bristol Library Society, eventually moving site multiple times and becoming what is now Bristol City Museum. [7] In 1871 it was purchased by the Freemasons of Bristol and converted for their use. It was bombed during the Second World War and burnt extensively. It was rebuilt after the war and reopened in 1955. [8]

The building

Built from limestone with a copper-clad roof, Freemason's Hall is sited on the corner of Park Street and St Georges Road in Bristol. The main entrance to the building is elevated behind cast iron railings with a gate and bud finials and is surmounted by an interesting frieze depicting a classical Greek scene by EH Baily. [9] This opens into a circular reception area which in turn leads to the lounge and main staircase of the building with access to all floors.

The building contains a members only bar, [10] cloakrooms, meeting rooms, three dining rooms, a library [11] and a number of temples and chapter rooms.

Traditionally a building which has been closed to non-members, more recently Freemason's Hall has been opened to the public as part of the Bristol Open Doors programme. This attracted new attention from the local press and was well received by curious locals. [12] As an attempt to modernise and attract new members, journalists have been given tours of the building during Open Doors events and the visits filmed along with question and answer style sessions. [13]

Freemason's Hall in its current state from the other side of Park Street Freemason's Hall, Park Street, Bristol.jpg
Freemason's Hall in its current state from the other side of Park Street
Detailed image of the main entrance including the railings. Freemason's Hall, Park Street, Bristol, detail of entrance and railings.jpg
Detailed image of the main entrance including the railings.
The frieze above the main entrance by EH Baily Bristol, Minerva & Apollo, Portico of Masonic Hall, 17 Park St., Bristol.jpg
The frieze above the main entrance by EH Baily

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freemasonry</span> Group of fraternal organizations

Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 14th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition groups: Regular Freemasonry, which insists that a volume of scripture be open in a working lodge, that every member professes belief in a Supreme Being, that no women be admitted, and that the discussion of religion and politics do not take place within the lodge; and Continental Freemasonry, which consists of the jurisdictions that have removed some, or all, of these restrictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Rite</span> Rite of Freemasonry

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. A Rite is a progressive series of degrees conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. In the Scottish Rite the central authority is called a Supreme Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Museum & Art Gallery</span> Museum in Bristol, UK

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol, England. The museum is situated in Clifton, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the city centre. As part of Bristol Culture it is run by the Bristol City Council with no entrance fee. It holds designated museum status, granted by the national government to protect outstanding museums. The designated collections include: geology, Eastern art, and Bristol's history, including English delftware. In January 2012 it became one of sixteen Arts Council England Major Partner Museums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Grand Lodge of England</span> Freemason lodge in England

The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron Tavern in London, it is considered to be the oldest Masonic Grand Lodge in the world, together with the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of which are recognized by Mainstream grand lodges, and those under the jurisdiction of the National Grand Lodge. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest predominantly African-American fraternity in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Lodge of Ireland</span> Second most senior Grand Lodge of Freemasons

The Grand Lodge of Ireland is the second most senior Grand Lodge of Freemasons in the world, and the oldest in continuous existence. Since no specific record of its foundation exists, 1725 is the year celebrated in Grand Lodge anniversaries, as the oldest reference to Grand Lodge of Ireland comes from the Dublin Weekly Journal of 26 June 1725. This describes a meeting of the Grand Lodge to install the new Grand Master, The 1st Earl of Rosse, on 24 June. The Grand Lodge has regular Masonic jurisdiction over 13 Provincial Grand Lodges covering all the Freemasons of the island of Ireland, and another 11 provinces worldwide.

While many Christian denominations either allow or take no stance on their members joining Freemasonry, others discourage or prohibit their members from joining the fraternity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freemasons' Hall, London</span> Headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England

Freemasons' Hall in London is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England, as well as being a meeting place for many Masonic Lodges in the London area. It is located in Great Queen Street between Holborn and Covent Garden and has been a Masonic meeting place since 1775.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic ritual and symbolism</span> Scripted words and actions spoken or performed during degree work

Masonic ritual is the scripted words and actions that are spoken or performed during the degree work in a Masonic lodge. Masonic symbolism is that which is used to illustrate the principles which Freemasonry espouses. Masonic ritual has appeared in a number of contexts within literature including in "The Man Who Would Be King", by Rudyard Kipling, and War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freemasons' Tavern</span> Meeting place in England

The Freemasons' Tavern was established in 1775 at 61–65 Great Queen Street in the West End of London. It served as a meeting place for a variety of notable organisations from the 18th century until it was demolished in 1909 to make way for the Connaught Rooms.

The first known Freemasons in Portugal were the Swiss John Coustos and two other Portuguese members of his lodge, who were arrested by the Portuguese Inquisition and questioned under torture in the 1740s. Coustos wrote a book detailing his sufferings under the Inquisition and pointed to 1728 as being the year of the first Lodge, although nothing is known of the first years of this Lodge and it was not then recognised by the Grand Lodge of England. Today there are several Masonic Obediences in Portugal.

A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The current Indianapolis Masonic Temple, also known as Indiana Freemasons Hall, is a historic Masonic Temple located at Indianapolis, Indiana. Construction was begun in 1908, and the building was dedicated in May 1909. It is an eight-story, Classical Revival style cubic form building faced in Indiana limestone. The building features rows of engaged Ionic order columns. It was jointly financed by the Indianapolis Masonic Temple Association and the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Indiana, and was designed by the distinguished Indianapolis architectural firm of Rubush and Hunter.

The Kent Museum of Freemasonry, is a museum in St Peters Place, Canterbury, Kent with a rare collection of masonic exhibits of national and international importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa Masonic Library and Museum</span> Historic site in Iowa, United States

The Iowa Masonic Library and Museum, located at 813 First Ave. SE, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, is one of the largest Masonic libraries in the world and incorporates at least three museum collections. The library was the first, worldwide, to have its own building. Its current building also houses the administrative offices for the Grand Lodge of Iowa, one of the governing bodies for Freemasonry in Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freemasonry in Scotland</span>

Freemasonry in Scotland in lodges chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland comprises the Scottish Masonic Constitution as regular Masonic jurisdiction for the majority of freemasons in Scotland. There are also lodges operating under the Scottish Masonic Constitution in countries outside of Scotland. Many of these are countries linked to Scotland and the United Kingdom through the Commonwealth of Nations and prior colonies and other settlements of the British Empire although there are several lodges in countries such as Lebanon, Belgium, Chile and Peru, which do not have such connections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Masons' Hall, London</span> Freemasonry headquarters

Mark Masons' Hall in London is the headquarters of The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales, which is also responsible for the Royal Ark Mariner degree. It is located in 86 St James's Street in the central London district of St James's, opposite St James's Palace. While Freemasons' Hall is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England, Mark Masons' Hall is the home of several other important appendant orders of Freemasonry in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Freemasonry</span> Museum in London, England

Isaac Newton University Lodge No 859 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Cambridge for matriculated members of the university. As of 2013 there were approximately 200 members. This is about half the 397 subscribing members in 1955. The lodge meets at Bateman Street Masonic Hall, with the lodge's badge or standard a combination of Isaac Newton's coat of arms and the University of Cambridge's coat of arms. The lodge is also a member of the Association of Medical, university, and Legal Lodges.

References

  1. ↑ "FREEMASONS' HALL AND ATTACHED CAST IRON RAILINGS, Non Civil Parish - 1282205 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ↑ provinceofbristol.org.uk https://provinceofbristol.org.uk/ . Retrieved 12 January 2021.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ "Bristol Mark Masons Website" . Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 "A Province all of its own: Bristol's Library & Museum of Freemasonry". Freemasonry Today.
  5. ↑ Lavelle, AB (2008). [Extract available at http://www.bristol-masonic-society.org.uk/history.htm "The Bristol Masonic Society - Past, Present and Future"]. Corona Gladiorum. 5 (2007–8): 135–142.{{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help)
  6. ↑ Gomme, Andor; Jenner, Michael (2011). An Architectural History of Bristol. Oblong Creative Ltd. p. 247. ISBN   978-0955657658.
  7. ↑ Neve, Michael Raymond (1984). Natural philosophy, medicine and the culture of science in provincial England: the cases of Bristol, 1790-1850 (PDF). London: University College London. pp. Chapters 4 and 5.
  8. ↑ "Key Dates - Province of Bristol". provinceofbristol.org.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Crick, Clare (1975). Victorian Buildings in Bristol. Bristol: Redcliffe Press Ltd. p. 1. ISBN   0905459091.
  10. ↑ "Freemasons' Hall, Bristol". whatpub.com. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Britton, Mike (October 2007). "Bristol Museum: A Phoenix from the Ashes". Masonic Quarterly Magazine. 16: 46–48.
  12. ↑ Maggs, Neil (23 June 2019). "What happens inside one of the oldest fraternities in the world". BristolLive. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Maggs, Neil (23 June 2019). "We tried to join one of the most secretive societies in the world". BristolLive. Retrieved 16 January 2021.

51°27′13″N2°36′08″W / 51.45364°N 2.60209°W / 51.45364; -2.60209

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.