Masonic "temple" in danger

From the Daily Telegraph

Masonic ‘Da Vinci Code’ church in danger, warns charity

A CRUMBLING and abandoned Victorian church built as a “temple to Freemasonry” needs urgent restoration work to save it for the nation, a charity has warned.

St Edmund’s Church was constructed based on the dimensions of King Solomon’s Temple in the Bible Photo: Andy Marshall

St Edmund’s Church in, Falinge, Rochdale, is regarded as one of the finest but least known gems of ecclesiastical architecture in the country.

Although resembling a typical parish church on the outside, its elaborate exterior is packed with Masonic symbolism prompting comparisons with the medieval Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, the setting for much of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code.

Built in 1870 by the industrialist and banker Albert Hudson Royds, its cavings, windows, furniture and vaulted gothic ceiling are covered in masonic imagery.

And sited on the highest point in the surrounding area, it was constructed based on the dimensions of King Solomon’s Temple in the Bible.

Hudson Royds himself appears in a stained glass window as one of the masons rebuilding the Temple after the exile in Babylon.

Although Rosslyn Chapel’s possible links to the Freemasons or resemblance to the former Temple in Jersualem have been hotly disputed, enthusiasts have nicknamed St Edmund’s “Britain’s greatest Masonic secret”.

Hudson Royds, a pasionate Freemason who saw Rochdale as the "New Jerusalem", poured £20,000 into the project, the equivalent of £1.6 million today. It is regarded as as a major example of the great municipal beneficence of Victorian industrialists.

Although a grade one listed building, it has been sealed off for three years since it closed as a parish church.

Since then a colony of pigeons has taken over the tower and its grand ceilings have begun to leak.

Although still consecrated for worship, the building was recently handed over by the Church of England to the Churches Conservation Trust which hopes to restore it for use by the local community.

The charity is currently carrying out surveying work but expectes to have to spend several hundred thousand pounds to make it safe and usuable. It is preparing to launch a fundraising campaign next year.

Crispin Truman, chief executive of the Trust, said: “The suggestion that there are more important things than saving heritage in areas where homelessness, poverty and unemployment are a daily concern, carries an implicit assumption that people in disadvantaged areas don’t care about – or maybe don’t even appreciate or understand – the history in their midst.

“That’s something you’ll never hear said in the Cotswolds, and it’s wrong.”

Freemasonry on the rise in Asia

From the Daily Telegraph

Freemasons grow in popularity in Asia

'Secret' society the Freemasons is expanding in Asia, as expats look to join its ranks.

Thriving: many young professionals working overseas join the Freemasons Photo: PA

The Freemasons are thriving in Asia as expats look for a ready-made network of professionals to help them settle into a new country.

The supposedly secret society, which dates back to the 18th century, is seeing a lot of young blood join its ranks overseas to help break the stuffy image of retired old judges meeting behind closed doors.

The numbers of young professionals signing up to the Freemasons is helped by the fact that the fraternity is on a drive to become more “relevant” and “open” in its dealing with the public.

Nigel Brown, grand secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, said: “We have always been open but want to be more pro-active in doing this, such as being recognised for our charitable work and donations. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about the Freemasons which we need to get rid of by helping people understand what we do and cutting out the jargon we use.”

Mr Brown was last week in Singapore to reopen Freemason’s Hall, a heritage building gifted by Queen Victoria to the Freemasons.

British-born Australian Nick Jacobs, 41, is an example of the new breed of Freemasons helping to grow the membership. He said: “It definitely has an attraction to expats as you get to meet up with people in a strange city and very quickly they are like brothers to you. And these are people you wouldn’t normally be friends with as they are outside the expat community.”

He added: “There are many older gentlemen who are active Freemasons in Singapore but we are finding that we are also attracting a much younger demographic of expats and locals.”

Freemasons in Asia regularly take part in social activities such as inter-lodge paintballing sessions and pub quizzes.

Singapore has eight English lodges and is part of a district that includes Malaysia and Thailand. Many countries in Asia are seeing a spike in popularity for the Freemasons, especially those nations with colonial roots and established lodges.

Dennis Heath, a British expat and Freemason in Singapore, added: “We see a lot of expats passing through Singapore who want to come to the lodge where they know they will be welcomed warmly. We also have expats who were previously part of a lodge back in the UK, along with those joining for the first time. The traditions and history of the Freemasons has a strong appeal in the fast-paced, digital world we live in”

But he admitted: “There is still a certain mystique, and many false myths, about joining the world’s oldest fraternal and charitable society.”

Nazi research brings reward for mason

From the Bucks Herald

 

Bucks freemason gains rare membership into world’s pre-eminent research group, Quatuor Coronati, for Nazi investigation

David Peck

Published on Friday 7 December 2012 15:17

A freemason has won a top award for historical research on the Nazis.

David Peck, 68, of Haddenham, has been honoured for his exploration of the Nazi threat to British Freemasons in World War Two.
He has received the Norman B Spencer Prize, awarded by the world’s pre-eminent masonic research group, Quatuor Coronati Lodge in London.
Mr Peck, a former BAE SYSTEMS project director, of Wykeham Gate, Haddenham, won £100 for his efforts – and, more significantly, has been invited to join the research group.
He said: “It is a great honour. I am so pleased. I am the first member of Bucks Freemasons for many years to be asked to become a member of Quatuor Coronati.”
The research group has an important position in world freemasonry, as the exact origins of the craft, as it is known among members, has been lost in the shrouds of time.
Written records of very early masonic meetings were either not made or have not survived.
Mr Peck adds: “Freemasonry is all about friendship, decency, and charity, so it is important for future generations that historians document and examine the challenges the movement has had throughout its existence.
“Possibly the biggest threat it has seen in the last century was that of the Nazis. Far too many freemasons ended up in concentration camps as the German tanks rolled in, across national borders, throughout Europe.
“There is every reason to believe that we would have suffered similar persecution in England if Operation Sea Lion – Hitler’s plan to invade England – had gone ahead.”
The head of Bucks Freemasons, Gordon Robertson, says: “David is a wonderful advocate for our core values of friendship, decency, and charity, so I am delighted that his many years of devotion to the cause have been recognised in this way.
“He is the go-to guy for anyone in Berks, Bucks, and Oxon who wants to learn about the history of freemasonry.”
Mr Peck is a former master, or chairman, of Haddenham Lodge, which he joined in 1982. It is based at the Masonic Centre in Thame High Street, Oxfordshire.
He is chairman of the Bucks Association for Masonic Research. His previous projects include investigating the order’s origins and development in Malta.
Mr Peck is a chartered engineer and a Bradford University graduate. He has lived in his current home in Haddenham for more than 30 years.
He went on: “I shall donate the cash to the masonic library at Freemasons’ Hall in London, which is a mine of information about the craft.
“And I shall continue to research as much as I can. It’s a bug.”

Masonic membership packs

 From the Daily Telegraph...

Freemasons sell Christmas membership packs for £80

Its 'secret' handshakes and elaborate rituals have long been a mystery to outsiders, but the world of freemasonry is opening up by selling membership Gift Packs for people to give their loved ones for Christmas.

Membership to the Freemasons is now available as a Christmas gift  

The Masonic Christmas Gift Pack costs £80 and includes a tour of the local Masonic Lodge, an invitation to meetings with masons, and – subject to approval by the local Lodge - a year’s membership to the group.

The British Federation of Co-Freemasonry described the pack, which is available until the end of December, as “truly a life-changing gift”.

The federation is one of a number of freemasons’ groups that operate worldwide. It was founded in 1893 and has been operational in Britain since 1902. The federation is open to both men and woman and is open to people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Freemasons are networking groups and charitable organizations who convene in local ‘Lodges’, or meeting houses. They are non-religious and non-political, and membership involves taking place in a series of rituals and ceremonies.

The British Federation of Co-Freemasonry is different to the United Grand Lodge of England, where membership is limited to men only.

The British Federation of Co-Freemasonry said it is the first Masonic organisation to make membership available as a Christmas gift. It said that the initiative is part of a wider campaign to raise awareness amongst the general public.
A spokeswoman said that new members applying to join through the Christmas Gift Pack initiative will have their application confirmed after an interview by members at their nearest lodge.
She said: “We are hoping to reach some people who perhaps have never considered becoming a Freemason before. It seemed to us that Christmas was the perfect time to offer a Masonic Gift Pack and we hope many will take it up to surprise a loved one.”
“It is certainly a unique Christmas gift – to our knowledge nothing like this has ever been done before. Of course, if they subsequently change their minds before joining, we will provide a full refund. Equally if their local Lodge feel they aren’t suited to becoming a Mason we will fully refund the package as well.
The spokeswoman said that there are “huge benefits” to becoming a freemason.
“It provides a wonderful spiritual framework for life. We are hoping many more people will get the chance to experience it for themselves by being gifted our packs this Christmas,” she said.

Freemasons get apology

The irascible James Delingpole gives the Craft a name-check in a recent column for the Daily Telegraph.

Here's a taster

"Perhaps the least surprising aspect of the Rotherham childcare story is that Car Crash Commissar and Child Catcher in Chief Joyce Thacker was a member of Common Purpose.
The secretive Fabian organisation has been getting quite a bit of media attention, lately, thanks to a bravura investigation conducted by the Daily Mail. Common Purpose has been described as a Left-wing version of the Freemasons (apologies to the Freemasons who certainly don't deserve to be bracketed in the same noisome category) and to get an idea how it operates, here's an excerpt from the Mail piece:
'It's a new old boys' network,' he explains 'but the Left's version of it — and I don't like secretive deal-making and “group think” of any kind.
'What is interesting is that the same people appear in the same jobs, in different places, as if through a revolving door. They work for local authorities, leave, then… Read More"

Strike a light

This rather plain matchbox case to mark - and probably raise money for? - the new masonic hall in Horsham, Sussex, is to go under the hammer at auction.

What makes it far more valuable than the estimated £20-25 is the date - 1939.

This conjures up enormous emotion, marking as it does the year that World War Two began. And in that war the Nazis stepped up their hideous actions against chosen minorities, including, Jews, gypsies and Freemasons.

Owning this would be a constant reminder of that war, and of sacrifice and of brothers sent to their deaths.

It's being sold by Stacey's auctioneers in Essex.

Dunblane conspiracy

For those who like a good Freemasonry conspiracy, here is one from "thetruthseeker.co.uk". It is dated 2005 and pasted here:

LETTERS between Labour and Tory ministers and correspondence relating to Thomas Hamilton’s alleged involvement with Freemasonry are part of a batch of more than 100 documents about the Dunblane mass murder which have been sealed from public sight for 100 years.
The documents include a letter connected to Hamilton, which was sent by George Robertson, currently head of Nato, to Michael Forsyth, who was then Secretary of State for Scotland.
Until now it was thought that a 100-year public secrecy order had only been placed on one police report into Hamilton which allegedly named high-profile politicians and legal figures. However, a Sunday Herald investigation has uncovered that 106 documents, which were submitted to the Dunblane inquiry in 1996, were also placed under the 100-year rule.
The Scottish Executive has claimed the 100-year secrecy order was placed on the Central Police report, which was drafted in 1991 five years before the murders, to protect the identities of children named in the report. Hamilton had allegedly abused a number of children prior to his 1996 gun attack on Dunblane primary school in which 16 primary one children and a teacher died before Hamilton turned his gun on himself.
However, only a handful of the documents, which the Sunday Herald has discovered to be also subject to the 100-year rule, relate to children or name alleged abuse victims.
The most intriguing document is listed as: ‘Copy of letter from Thomas Hamilton to Dunblane parents regarding boys’ club, and flyer advertising Dunblane Boys’ Sports Club. Both sent to Rt Hon Michael Forsyth, MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, by George Robertson MP.’ Also closed under the 100-year rule is a ‘submission to Lord James Douglas Hamilton, MP, Minister of State at the Scottish Office, concerning government evidence to the Inquiry’.
Another document relates to correspondence between the clerk of the Dunblane inquiry, which was presided over by Lord Cullen, and a member of the public regarding ‘possible affiliations of Thomas Hamilton with Freemasonry … and copy letters from Thomas Hamilton’.
SNP deputy justice minister, Michael Matheson, said: ‘The explanation to date about the 100 -year rule was that it was put in place to protect the interests of children named in the Central Police report. How can that explanation stand when children aren’t named? The 100-year rule needs to be re-examined with respect to all documents.’
Matheson has written to the Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd, asking why the 100-year rule applies and how it can be revoked. He has so far had no response. He also asked First Minister Jack McConnell to explain the reasons for the 100-year order but received ‘no substantial answer’. Matheson is to write to Colin Boyd a second time, in the light of the discovery that more than 100 other documents are also sealed, asking him to account for the decision.
A spokeswoman for the Crown Office said: ‘In consultation with the Crown Office and the Scottish Office, Lord Cullen agreed that in line with the age of some of the individuals involved and named in the inquiry, the closure period would be 100 years. The Lord Advocate is considering issuing a redacted copy of the productions, which would blank out identifying details of children and their families. A decision on this has yet to be made.’
Other sealed key reports on Dunblane include:
· A ‘comparative analysis of Thomas Hamilton’ by Central Scotland Police
· Information about Hamilton’s ‘use and possession of firearms’
· Pathology reports, Hamilton’s autopsy report, and analysis by Glasgow University’s forensic science lab on blood, urine and liver samples from Hamilton’s body
· Details on firearms licensing policies
· A review by Alfred Vannet, regional procurator fiscal of Grampian, Highland and Islands, of ‘reports and information in respect of Thomas Hamilton submitted to the procurator fiscals of Dumbarton and Stirling by Strathclyde Police and Central Police’
· A psychological report on Hamilton
· Guidance from the British Medical Association on granting firearms licences
· ‘Transcript of and correspondence relating to answering-machine tape which accidentally recorded conversation between police officers at the scene of the Dunblane incident’
· Correspondence and witness statements ‘relating to allegations of sexual abuse made against Hamilton’
See Blair’s Protection of Elite Paedophile Rings Spells the End For His Career
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/blair_protection.html