"Where Masons Do Congregate."

" Where Masons do Congregate . "

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''PHE early meeting places of London lodges has long been I a subject of considerable interest to the Masonic Student and historian , and we are largely indebted to such writers as Bros . Hughan , Gould , Lane , and others for what knowledge we now possess of the buildings in which outbrethren of the early days of the eighteenth century

performed their rites and ceremonies . Time immemorial lodges there were before this , and it cannot be doubted that combinations of Freemasons existed centuries before the

Grand Lodge came into existence in 1716 , but when and where these old lodges were located cannot now be discovered . That the Lodge of Antiquity met at the Goose and Gridiron , in St . Paul's Churchyard , in 1724 , is beyond a doubt , and that other taverns of note at that period were almost solely the homes of the earlier lodges is equally

beyond dispute . It is a far cry from the Goose and Gridiron to the Hotel Cecil ; but the evolution of the London lodge has kept pace

with that of the London tavern , and the demand for improved lodge surroundings has been met in such a manner as to leave nothing to be desired in the way of comfort and adaptability to the requirements of the Craft . No greater evidence of the vast strides Masonry has made in the Metropolis during the past few years can be adduced

than the accommodation afforded in the magnificent Masonic temples in connection with the great hotels and public buildings that have sprung up in all directions . Among

these the lodge room at the Hotel Cecil may be ranked amongst the first . It is of massive and imposing design . The whole of the walls are panelled in elaborately-carved oak , and although perhaps the entire effect strikes one as somewhat sombre , it is nevertheless admirably in keeping with the requirements of the Craft , and is largely used by

various lodges and chapters . The accompanying illustration gives an excellent idea of its style and proportions .