Freemason's Hall, Bristol is a building on Park Street in the city of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. It is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building initially built in 1821. It is now the home of

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

's in Bristol and is the seat of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol as well as a number of other organisations and

side orders ''Side Orders'' (french: Foie de canard et cœur de femme, lit. "Duck's Liver and Woman's Heart") is a 2001 Canadian drama short film written and directed by Stéphane Lapointe."Watch these five little Genies, all in a row". ''Toronto Star'', Jan ...

including the

Rite of Baldwyn The Rite of Baldwyn or Rite of Seven Degrees is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It exists and is only practised in the Masonic Province of Bristol, England in Freemason's Hall. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by ...

. It is the home of 38 Craft Lodges, 14 Royal Arch Chapters, and 7 Mark Lodges, 3 Royal Ark Lodges and is one of the few masonic provinces which enjoy all lodges meeting in the same building. The Bristol Masonic Society also meets there.

History

The building was initially built as The Philosophical Institution for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art, later becoming a museum. 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. 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.

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. 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, cloakrooms, meeting rooms, three dining rooms, a library 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 th
Bristol Open Doors
programme. This attracted new attention from the local press and was well received by curious locals. 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.

Gallery

References

{{coord, 51.45364, -2.60209, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol Freemasonry in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures completed in 1821 Masonic buildings