Internet Lodge of Research Blog

This is the United Grand Lodge of England’s Library and Museum website and it is certainly worth a visit.  On the home page, it proudly states “The Library and Museum of Freemasonry is a registered museum housing one of the finest publicly available collections of Masonic material in the world” it is an accurate statement.  Predictably, it is focused on England and English Freemasonry, however, there are many items from different parts of the world.  Try the Library Catalogue and do a search for “Calgary”.

The current featured exhibit is “Freemasonry and the Royal Society” and apart from the written word on the site, has a link to a full list of the Royal Society’s members.

Take a few minutes and have a wander at http://www.freemasonry.london.museum/

St. John the Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist is one of the two St. Johns who are associated with Freemasonry.  St. John the Evangelist Day is the 27th of December.

For a full write-up on this Saint and his day, click HERE to read the online version from the Book of Days, printed circa 1865.

Detroit Masonic Temple from the air

Another site worth looking at.  The architecture is fabulous.

(http://www.detroitmasonic.com/pictures.htm)

Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel, London

Interesting bit of Info.

In years gone by, many London lodges, which were unable to afford their own premises, used to hire a room in a local inn/hotel/tavern for their meetings and the subsequent dinner/festive board. Such an arrangement was beneficial both to the landlord (from the increase in business on lodge nights) and to the lodge whose furniture and paraphernalia were safely stored.

From 1966 to 1988, the Grecian masonic room in the Great Eastern Hotel, built in the 1880s but known since 2008 as the Andaz Hotel <http://london.liverpoolstreet.andaz.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/>, was the meeting place of the Lion & Lamb Lodge No.129 <http://www.lionandlamb.org.uk/> according to information provided at <http://www.lionandlamb.org.uk/temple%20intro.html> together with photos at <http://www.lionandlamb.org.uk/Temple%20Thumbs.html> (No doubt this room was also regularly used by several other masonic lodges.)

A report entitled “English Masonic Lodges, Pipe Organs and National Heritage” by Andrew Pink (January 2007) <http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/2484/1/2484.pdf> mentions: “the organ by Norman and Beard Ltd of London (1912) in the lodge room known as The Greek Temple, at the Great Eastern Hotel at Liverpool Street Station, London. This imposing and highly decorated Edwardian space is Grade 1 listed and so the survival of its otherwise typically modest masonic pipe organ has been guaranteed by its being integral to the lodge room’s original design. Despite the completeness of the furniture and fittings in this lodge room it is no longer used for masonic meetings, but the instrument is intact and playable.”

Surprisingly, although this masonically decorated room is now available for hire for up-market events, it was for a while converted into a health club, before being boarded up behind a fake wall and forgotten!!!

Incidentally, early this year, the same publication “Londonist” had a report about Great Queen Street where UGLE’s main building is located <http://londonist.com/2009/01/spruce_up_for_great_queen_street.php>
**
S+F,
Ashok Mahbubani
*member of Scottish & English blue/craft lodges

I have a Laguiole knife (non-masonic) and it is good quality.  Interesting where the Square and Compasses will appear.

http://www.laguiole-france.com/index.php?module=Sous-Rubriques&rubr=27&ssrubr=265

Masonic House in Brazil

Masonic building (“Casa do Maçom”) spotted on Google Earth in Nova America, Brazil at coordinates 20 34 45.51 S, 48 34 34.14 W.

The “House of Mason John Baroni” offers lodging to Masons and their families from all over Brazil who undergo treatment at the local Cancer Hospital. It is in Barretos, a suburb of Sao Paulo.

For more information and photos go to the Freemasons For Dummies Blog and check under the December 3rd, 2009 date.

Looking for a Masonic Gift shop – try The Masonic Supply Shop.  This one is run by a Calgary area brother.

Too often, we ignore the local person and go to places unknown to buy items.  I guess it is a case of “familiarity breeds contempt” or “a prophet having no honour in his own country”.

Have a look, you might find something you like.  I like some of the quieter ties (hint, hint).  http://www.masonicsupplyshop.com/

Civil War Masonic Book

Bro. Mike Halleran of Emporia, Kansas has recently written an academic history about  Civil War Freemasons entitled The Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War that is being published by the University of Alabama. Currently in production, the book will be ready for distribution in March. While admittedly not of a Canadian character, he is hopeful this book will appeal to those of your members who find interesting the intersection of Masonry and the military.

He has, therefore, written to see if the Internet Lodge of Research would care to take notice of the book.  The publisher’s website for the book, which contains a synopsis and some advanced reviews is here:  http://www.uapress.ua.edu/product/Better-Angels-of-Our-Nature,4729.aspx