I had the pleasure to give a talk on 300 years of Freemasonry at the Welsh Installed Masters Lodge No. 9857, which was held at Elwy Hall in Rhyl, North Wales. The lodge, which was founded in 2010, meets in … Continue reading →
It has been suggested by esoteric writers of the occult revival such as John Yarker and Arthur Edward Waite that the Rose Croix degree was the ultimate degree practiced by the Rite de Elus Coens in the later eighteenth century. The degree … Continue reading →
In Freemasonry, we are used to seeing and understanding our Masonic symbols, as taught to us in our ritual and our further studies. But symbols have been used throughout the millennia for many different Orders, religions, aristocratic families and indeed, … Continue reading →
A few months ago, I was contacted by a good friend and Brother George Shukha, from a lodge in Israel, who informed me about a lodge meeting in Solomon’s Quarries, a rather famous cave in Jerusalem, very well known in … Continue reading →
England has many Masonic Halls, and the ones I’ve chosen to present here are examples of Halls that were opened as a result of the growth of Freemasonry and a need of a purpose built building. These buildings also celebrated … Continue reading →
The new biography I am writing on Liverpool based merchant and philanthropist Christopher Rawdon is on track, and new research is revealing new aspects of his life and that of his extended family. The Rawdon Briggs branch of the family … Continue reading →
St John’s Church in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, opened in 1836, and has a number of Masonic connections. It has a beautiful Masonic stained glass window and had support from local Freemasons. The church was also the burial place of the … Continue reading →
The Shepherd’s Monument, located in the gardens of Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England, has attracted many a writer in recent decades, all putting forward theories and trying to crack the ‘code’. It was erected by Thomas Anson sometime between 1748 … Continue reading →
In St. Andrew’s church, Rodney Street in Liverpool, there is a pyramid shaped monument, the final resting place of a civil engineer named William Mackenzie, who died in 1851. This imposing pyramid shaped monument has attracted many rumours over the … Continue reading →
There are a number of abandoned buildings that once held lodge rooms that I’ve covered on the blog over the past few months, some that I’ve visited like Woolton Hall in Liverpool, UK, and others that I’ve found in the … Continue reading →
