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Domestic Occurrences
Saturday, December 31
The Foundation-stone of the new Theatre in
Covent Garden, now erecting by Mr. Robert
Smirke, was this day laid by HRH. the Prince of
Wales, as Grand Master of the Free Masons;
the Duke of Sussex, Earl Moira, and other
distinguished Noblemen, with some hundreds
of that order, attended in procession.
Considerable importance and interest was
given to the spectacle by the honour thus conferred
upon it; and all necessary pre-arrangements having
been admirably attended to by the proprietors and
the architect, the whole ceremony passed with
much eclat.
It attracted a great concourse of people; all the
adjacent streets and houses were thronged, and near
a thousand of spectators were admitted with tickets,
and accommodated within the inclosed area, in a
temporary covered building, erected opposite to the
Foundation-stone; another building was provided
for the Free Masons, and a Marquee for HRH the
Prince of Wales.
Above seven hundred workmen belonging to the
building stood on surrounding scaffolds. Military
detachments guarded the exterior; the Grenadier
company of the first regiment of Guards was
stationed within the ground at the Prince’s
entrance, and the whole scene was enlivened
by the musick of various military bands.
The Foundation-stone is at the N.E. angle
of the building, of an oblong shape, and weighing
nearly three tons; it hung suspended over a
basement-stone. At half-past twelve the procession
of Free Masons entered the area, adorned with
their various paraphernalia, the Chevalier Ruspini
bearing the sword before them, and attended
by a band of musick.
HRH the Prince of Wales arrived at one o’clock,
and was received by Earl Moira and other superior
members of the order; a discharge of artillery and
loud acclamations welcomed his approach, while all
the bands uniting, struck up “God save the King.”
His path, from the entrance to the Marquee,
was covered with green cloth. His Royal Highness
appeared in excellent health, and was brilliantly
decorated with all the insignia of the order.
Having arrived at the Marquee, Mr. Smirke,
the Architect, presented him with a plan of the
Building; HRH then advanced, and deposited
in the basement-stone, a brass box containing
two medals, one of bronze, on which was a
portrait of His Royal Highness, and on the
reverse, the following inscription:
Georgius
Princeps . Walliarum
Theatri
Regiis . Instaurandi . Auspiciis
In . Hortis . Benedictinis
Londini
Fundamenta
Sua . Manu . Locavit
M.DCCC.VIII.
The other medal was deeply engraved in copper;
on one side is inscribed:
“Under the Auspices of
His most sacred Majesty George III.
King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland,
The Foundation-stone of the Theatre
Covent Garden
Was laid by His Royal Highness
George Prince of Wales
M.DCCC.VIII.”
On the other side is engraved “Robert Smirke,
Architect.”
There were deposited also Gold, Silver, and
Copper British coins of the latest coinage.
Three Masons then spread mortar over the
lowest stone; and Earl Moira, deputy Grand
Master, having presented the Prince with a silver
trowel, HRH as Grand Master, finished
spreading it, and the stone was slowly let down;
its descent was proclaimed by a discharge of
artillery. The Plumb, the Level, and the Square,
were then presented by the acting G.M.; with
which the Prince tried the position of the Stone,
after which he finished the laying of it by three
strokes with a mallet; he now poured over it the
antient offerings of corn, wine, and oil, from three
silver vases.
HRH then returned the plan into the hands
of the Architect, desiring him to complete the
edifice conformably to it; and, addressing Messrs.
Harris and Kemble, he expressed his wishes for
the success and prosperity of the undertaking.
The Ceremony being now finished, the
illustrious Grand Master retired, leaving every
spectator in admiration of the grace and dignity
with which he had performed his part.
When this theatre, too, followed the fate of
its predecessor and was burnt to the ground
in 1856, E. M. Barry, son of Sir Charles
Barry, architect for the new Houses of
Parliament, designed the present building.
The fate of the brass box and its contents is
unknown, but workmen clearing the ruins
after the fire discovered the foundation
stone laid in 1808 and it was incorporated
inside the present building, where it could
be found in the shower and wash room of
the Gentlemen of the Chorus.
During the 1990s redevelopment, the
decision was taken to move it to a more
dignified position and it is once again
visible to the public, although not quite
in its original position in the north-east
corner. It stands in solemn splendour in
the old Carriage Entrance Way, now part
of the foyer, to remind us of that impressive
and colourful Masonic ceremony of almost
200 years ago.
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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