|
|
previous 
It went on to describe the building:
“Situated on Clerkenwell Green, just off the Farringdon Road,
the Old Middlesex Sessions House was built in 1779-1782 by
Thomas Rogers after a design by John Carter. It is a magnificent
construction with a Palladian front and is listed as an historic building.
It has an imposing entrance hall dominated by the Judges’
Staircase, all beneath a glass dome – a truly elegant introduction
to a building of considerable architectural merit.”
Deadlines were set for participation, and £3,000 by 31st
May 1978 would acquire a share, and this £3,000 could be
paid by various methods. Lodges paying later would need
to pay a premium and those paying fully by the end of May
1978 would enjoy a discount.
In 1979 the building (in a terribly derelict state) was
bought by the company for £300,000 After tremendous
efforts to restore the building, the first meetings were held in
September 1979, although the building was not officially dedicated
and opened until June 1980. It is the September 1979
opening that the Centre is currently celebrating 25 years later.
Along the way there have been troubles and crises. An early
financial crisis was partly brought about by sharply escalating
rates of interest and inflation. To overcome these problems,
participating Lodges were levied with four yearly
amounts of £250. There have also been one or two
fires which have put certain facilities out of use for a
time. More recently it has been necessary to embark on
a project to raise £400,000 to refurbish the exterior, and
again, participating Lodges are rising to that challenge.
By the very nature of Lodge meetings – “in this
country Freemasons’ Lodges generally meet in the
evening” – much of the Centre would be unused until
about 3.30-4pm. Recognising the under-utilisation of
such a valuable asset, the directors have very successfully
sought commercial business. This has not, and never
will be to the detriment of the Masonic use of the
Old Sessions House, but the revenue from such
business keeps the Masonic costs at a reasonable level
for Central London.
Charitable status for the Old Sessions House is being
sought so that gifts, legacies etc can now be tax-advantageously
applied to keeping this magnificent Centre,
the largest in Europe, in use for succeeding generations
of Masons.
Dorian Price is Managing Director of the
Central London Masonic Centre
| |
All photographs: David Peabody
From left to right: Bernard
Ross, Ken Latter
(Central London Masonic
Centre chairman), Lord
Northampton, Cllr Joan
Coupland (Mayor of Islington)
and Ken Bourne (founder)
|
|
|
Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
|
|
Next Page