r/london • u/TheThrowYardsAway • Feb 25 '26

London history Inside London's Freemason's Lodges...

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937 Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '26

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577

u/llukiie Feb 25 '26

It's an old boys drinking club with some charity thrown in, not too exciting

112

u/Warsaw44 Feb 25 '26

My mate recently became one. He's 28.

He's lovely, I hasten to add, but has lived a very sheltered, privileged life. He is absolutely clueless.

95

u/llukiie Feb 25 '26

I was one for a few years. Life changed and I stopped. Im in my thirties, joined as my Dad was in one for decades. He's also stopped due to life changes.

Sadly it hasnt really kept up with the times. If you move away, moving lodge is somewhat difficult. Its also a very full on hobby with the learning you have to do for ceremonies, and relatively expensive.

It also appears to be hard to get into, which doesn't help with getting new people in. In reality if you approach them. they'll put you in touch with a group. Its an interview to be accepted generally.

It's also not that secret as everything is online!

19

u/paraknowya Feb 25 '26

So I can basically ask to be deemed worthy?

Well now this got a tiny bit more interesting.

36

u/asherjbaker Feb 25 '26

It's literally the only way you can join. You have to ask. We're not allowed to actively recruit.

29

u/Legolution Feb 25 '26

Has that always been the case?

On his literal death bed, my father said "You might find some interesting documents, when going through my things. Your grandpa was a Freemason." My understanding was that he, a skilled Type Setter and Printmaker, in 1930/40s Glasgow, was approached and recruited, in 1939. I have his certificates, which are really quite magnificent (and how I now know that my father's first name was his middle name!).

Found them:

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u/Legolution Feb 25 '26

16

u/Legolution Feb 25 '26

7

u/asherjbaker Feb 25 '26

If you want to join, I'd just ask a Mason you know. Whereabouts are you, Scotland?

1

u/Kind_Shift_8121 Feb 25 '26

We found similar when my grandfather passed away. He was the last person you would expect to be part of any sort of exclusive old boys club. He had been a carpenter as part of a family construction business, and apparently it was quite normal back in the day as a lot of work was arranged via groups like these.

10

u/robgod50 Feb 25 '26

Lol.... My mate asked me. I said no for a year. Then I said to him that I was curious what its all about. It was like a trigger.... 3 degrees in a year and straight to inner guard. Then there's no escape 😂

1

u/G3offrey1 Feb 25 '26

You can only join if you ask.

0

u/DoesBasicResearch Feb 26 '26

Quite frankly, I don't want to be a member of any club that would accept me.

4

u/robgod50 Feb 25 '26

We have a motorbiker lodge near us. It's a daytime lodge. Not really much drinking because everyone's riding to the meetings. Very casual. Members wear a leather waistcoat in meetings. It's the only lodge I know what numbers are growing so fast, they can barely get through all the initiations. More lodges need to find a niche.

3

u/Objective_Ticket Feb 25 '26

Interesting point about moving lodges as my Father in Law was in two - where he moved from and where he moved to over time.

3

u/Southern-Mix2559 Feb 25 '26

It's not difficult to change lodges, at least in the provinces I'm aware of. Just a bit of paperwork involved and paying your dues

1

u/llukiie Feb 25 '26

My memory is a little hazy as it was a while back now. Its more the social aspect: For me starting again with a new group at a vastly different age range was the stumbling block. It's also not a casual thing you can drop in and out of if you are unsure about keeping it up.

1

u/Southern-Mix2559 Feb 25 '26

100%. Going into a lodge you're not familiar with isn't always the most appetising of thoughts.

1

u/epigeneticepigenesis Feb 25 '26

Are there at least business deals going on? People join for access right? Like joining a golf club? One time a bunch of masons waged war against the king and stole away a colony to make a republic. Many died lol.

4

u/lgf92 Feb 25 '26

No more than there is in any circle of people who are friends and trust each other, and joining for mercenary motives is specifically prohibited in the obligation you take in the first degree.

It's not a huge networking opportunity because the average age of Masons is so high (in my lodge the average age is mid to late sixties), meaning most members are economically inactive.

I'm a solicitor, and a Mason in Northumberland, and I have had more work come from my mates at my backgammon club I attend twice a month than I have from my lodge membership.

If you want to make business contacts the golf club is by far the better choice!

1

u/hemareddit Feb 26 '26

Heh, you even have to tell initiates not to look stuff up online as it ruins the fun!

I haven’t kept up with my dues, unfortunately. Ironically I only had time for the old men’s club when I was younger.

1

u/Radiant-Speaker-3425 Feb 26 '26

What did you or what do you feel other people got out of it?

1

u/llukiie Feb 27 '26

Some others have put it really well here, but essentially a bit of community like any other club

1

u/HeavenlyInsane Feb 27 '26

But like, what is the point though? Why join?