![Freemasons' Tavern](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Freemasons%27_Tavern.jpg)
The Freemasons' Tavern was established in 1775 at 61-65
Great Queen Street
Great Queen Street is a street in the West End of central London in England. It is a continuation of Long Acre from Drury Lane to Kingsway. It runs from 1 to 44 along the north side, east to west, and 45 to about 80 along the south side, w ...
in the
West End of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. It served as a meeting place for a variety of notable organisations from the 18th century until it was demolished in 1909 to make way for the
Connaught Rooms
The Freemasons' Tavern was established in 1775 at 61-65 Great Queen Street in the West End of London. It served as a meeting place for a variety of notable organisations from the 18th century until it was demolished in 1909 to make way for the ...
.
History
![Deaf and Dumb event at Freemason's Tavern](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Deaf_and_Dumb_event_at_Freemason%27s_Tavern.jpg)
In 1769, the
Premier Grand Lodge of England decided to build a Central Hall. A building was purchased in Great Queen Street in 1775 and
Thomas Sandby
Thomas Sandby (1721 – 25 June 1798) was an English draughtsman, watercolour artist, architect and teacher. In 1743 he was appointed private secretary to the Duke of Cumberland, who later appointed him Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park, wh ...
was tasked with building a hall in the garden. The original house became the tavern with a second house providing office space for the
Freemasons
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 ...
. In 1813 the Premier Grand Lodge and rival
Ancient Grand Lodge of England
The Ancient Grand Lodge of England, as it is known today, or ''The Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons (according to the Old Constitutions granted by His Royal Highness Prince Edwin, at York, Anno ...
merged to form the
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...
.
The hall was not only used for Masonic purposes, but also became an important venue in London for a variety of meetings and concerts.
Organisations using the hall included:
*
Political Economy Club
*
African Institution
The African Institution was founded in 1807 after British abolitionists succeeded in ending the slave trade based in the United Kingdom. The Institution was formed to succeed where the former Sierra Leone Company had failed—to create a viabl ...
*
British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society,
for the
World Anti-Slavery Convention
The World Anti-Slavery Convention met for the first time at Exeter Hall in London, on 12–23 June 1840. It was organised by the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, largely on the initiative of the English Quaker Joseph Sturge. The ex ...
in 1840
*
British and Foreign Bible Society
*
Highland and Island Emigration Society
The Highland and Island Emigration Society was a charitable society formed to promote and assist emigration as a solution to the Highland Potato Famine.
Between 1852 and 1857, it assisted the passage of around 5,000 emigrants from Scotland to Au ...
*
The Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
(FA) held its first meeting here on 26 October 1863
Connaught Rooms
![Grand Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Grand_Connaught_Rooms%2C_Great_Queen_Street.jpg)
In 1909 the Grand Lodge demolished most of the Freemasons' Tavern and replaced it over succeeding decades with a new building designed by H. V. Ashley and Winton Newman, who also designed the adjoining
Freemasons' Hall. The new building, costing £30,000, was named the Connaught Rooms after the Lodge's Grand Master,
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.
After a further renovation by Friendly Hotels (later the
Real Hotel Company) in the 1980s it reopened as the New Connaught Rooms, a hotel and
conference centre
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
. The
art deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
Grand Hall can seat 800 conference delegates.
When the Real Hotel Company collapsed in 2009,
Principal Hayley Group bought the venue,
renamed it the Grand Connaught Rooms,
and in 2016 placed it in its
De Vere brand.
In 2010 it became the first art deco building to be
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 ...
.
References
External sites
*
{{coord, 51.5156, -0.1205, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Freemasonry
Covent Garden
Demolished buildings and structures in London
Buildings and structures demolished in 1909