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Post by Flensted on Jan 4, 2006 22:59:16 GMT
Hi all.
I am going to London, UK next week - work related - and is planing to go to the Freemason hall (you never guessed) and I was interested in hearing if there where other places there that one should se when in town?
I plan on the Hall, Gate of Saint John and the Temple Church, but interested in hearing of other places to se and go.
Flensted
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Post by Jumile on Jan 5, 2006 15:17:37 GMT
Are you specifically looking for places of Masonic interest, or are you also looking for places of general interest? Some places I can think of are: - London Masonic Centre in Clerkenwell. See the website for more information.
- Mark Masons Hall at 86 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1PL - just off Pall Mall, next to St James' Palace. Home of Mark Masonry in England and Wales, and home to a number of side Orders. There are online references to which ones are based there but I can't find them just now, so Keith Jackson's "Beyond the Craft" is an excellent reference.
- Royalty: The numerous palaces in and around London.
- Museums: British, Natural History, Victoria & Albert, and the many others.
- Galleries: National Portrait, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, etc.
- Landmarks: the Monopoly board (i.e. the places featured on the board game; there's even a taxi tour of this), Baker Street (I challenge you to find 221b ), Westminster & St Stephen's Tower (after all, one only hears Big Ben ), the London Eye, the Gherkin, the Tower of London, various Thames icons (the bridges, Docklands, the tidal barrier), St Paul's Cathedral, the Globe Theatre (next door to where the original was), Hyde Park (and other parks), London Zoo, MI5 and MI6 (ssh, don't tell anyone), New Scotland Yard, and so on.
- Various walks and tours around London are popular, such as the Jack The Ripper Walk (a guide takes you through the places where the killings happened), etc. Check this website, for example. There are also open-topped double-decker tour buses that drive you around the sights.
- Pubs - especially old ones, many of which in the City (the area that was one encircled by the Roman Wall) claim to have survived the Great Fire of 1666.
- The City itself - much history.
- If you've ever seen the BBC TV series Spooks - when you go to Freemasons Hall, stand facing east with your back to the Lowlander Belgian pub (corner of Drury Lane), and look at the corner entrance to Freemasons Hall. Look familiar?
The list is endless, really. I suggest you Google for "london tourist" or similar - there must be thousands of websites devoted to London tourism. You won't run out of ideas - believe me. I have friends who arrived in London 5 years ago, go out regularly (without going outside the M25) and are nowhere near seeing everything. Actually, I know someone who's visited just the British Museum for a few hours every month and still hasn't seen it all. I mentioned new arrivals (rather than the natives), because everyone knows newcomers see more of their new home than the people brought up there. And I'm a newcomer myself, so I know from whence I speak - although I live 45 miles west of London. And of course none of the above includes things to see and do outside the M25: Stonehenge and Woodhenge, Uffington White Horse (and the others), Battle Abbey (site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings/Norman Conquest), castles and cathedrals galore, Brighton, Cerne Giant, Long Man of Wilmington, Avebury stone circles (and the others), Roman and pre-Roman towns and ruins, etc, etc. Ok, I'll stop now.
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Post by Flensted on Jan 5, 2006 20:29:25 GMT
I was thinking masonic yes, but I think there is a lot of things on your list there should be inclueded.
A shame I am there workrelated, I culd use days or weeks and even more just looking at places.
Thank you for the list, helped me alot.
Flensted
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Post by penfold on Jan 5, 2006 22:17:55 GMT
If you find yourself near St Pauls Cathedral in the city you can see the Temple Bar, that used to be in Fleet St, it has been restored and resited in Paternoster Square.
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staffs
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Staffs
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Post by staffs on Jan 6, 2006 6:29:53 GMT
Slightly off location but in Brighton there is a Pub Callled The Freemasons with masonic symbols on the tiled frontage outside.Further along the road is also a Pub called The Temple Bar.
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Post by kizzy on Jan 6, 2006 7:59:06 GMT
Yes, I used to drink in both when I lived in Hove (actually) . Neither have any direct Masonic connection nor history as far as I am aware. I don't think any Lodges met there in olden times, but if anyone knows otherwise please inform us. As Lee says there are some Masonic Symbols on the outside of the Freemasons in Western Road and the Sign showed a Mason working on an Ashlar. The Temple Bar had a statue of a Knight Templar above the door.
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Post by mrmason on Jan 7, 2006 7:37:42 GMT
I was in London last year, in the presence of some very esteemed company , and visited the Temple church. I found out that it is only open to the public at certain times and on certain days. The Grand Master of the Temple( Inner Courts) was also giving a lecture in the Temple church on the truths behind the Da Vinci Code, from a religiously historical point of view, with questions and answers afterwards. If this is still going on (again at certain times) it is well worth a vist to listen to. Times for the church and lectures were published outside the main entrance door. I have a few pics of the church, inside and out, if you wish to see them before hand.
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staffs
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Staffs
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Post by staffs on Jan 7, 2006 8:58:09 GMT
And if you are in the City on a weekday you may even get to spot a rare lesser streaked Bod strutting out in the city to and from work. Of course at this time of year the blonde streaks die back and more natural colour hair roots will be the preferred plumage until the retintinting season arrives in the springtime when the re grooming and tinting season becomes a frenzied panic for this unusual and endangered species. ;D
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bod
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UGLE - MM (London), MMM RAM(Middx), OSM (London)
Posts: 1,296
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Post by bod on Jan 7, 2006 22:38:47 GMT
Spookily accurate Brother Lee Stafford - any chance of booking me into your salon for a trim and highlights? Sorry, my mistake, that's the other one.... And lo the shepherds did see a bright light - but this time 'twas just the head of staffs, so they went back to their sheep. ;D Paternoster Square does look great, as does the Temple Bar, there is alos a blue plaque nearby to commemorate the founding of the first grand lodge of england in a nearby tavern. Let me know and we could meet for a coffee if you have time, St Johns Gate is about 15 minutes walk from St Pauls, and Freemasons Hall at Great Queen Street is near Holborn tube, which is on the Central Line (red one) 2 stops from St Pauls. St Johns Gate is also very close to Clerkenwell Masonic Centre.....all depends on how much time you have.
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Post by Jumile on Jan 8, 2006 1:17:42 GMT
You two and your dyed-tips vs slaphead obsession!
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bod
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UGLE - MM (London), MMM RAM(Middx), OSM (London)
Posts: 1,296
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Post by bod on Jan 12, 2006 2:38:52 GMT
Well Mark can now confirm that the highlights have nearly gone - but they will be back.... Mark has now added Clerkenwell Masonic Centre to his list of places visited, I was able to show him one of the lodge rooms and introduce him to a cheeky little number called Carlsberg..... ;D Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy meet again....hic.... And he's got cats....
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Post by Flensted on Jan 14, 2006 19:00:54 GMT
Yes I have cats - BIG ONCE. It was a great trip to London, saw a lot of places and yes Clerkenwell Masonic Centre was one of the better places ;-) I got time to do the more normal turist stuff, along with Freemason Hall, Temple and Gate of Saint John. And ohh yes, I had time to do a little work as well. A big thank you all for the surguestions on places, I whent to some of them and some will have to wait till later. Thank you Kieran for a nice look at the thingy call Carlberg
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Post by leonardo on Jan 14, 2006 19:16:35 GMT
Yes I have cats - BIG ONCE. And they are much smaller now ;D
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